Blossoming Love
by miss.salvatore1995
Summary: Edward never knew Bella's deepest secret, she is really a witch. When the Cullen's leave, Bella goes back to her real life at Hogwarts school where she faces danger, friendship, drama, and romance.
1. Chapter 1

**BELLA'S POV**

*Flashback*

"You don't want me?" I asked.

"No," he answered in a hard, emotionless tone.

*End of Flashback*

It had been two weeks since that jerk had left me in the forest. Charlie was threatening to send me to Florida because of my behavior over these long, horrible weeks. I drifted off, deep in thought, thinking about the Cullen's and what they had done to me, when I heard at tap on my window, causing me to jump.

I glanced up and noticed a snowy white owl perched on my windowsill with a small piece of paper attached to its leg.

"Hello Hedwig," I greeted as I opened the window. She hooted at me happily and I gently untied the note from around her leg.

_Dear Bellsy,_

_ I have dearly missed you this year at school. Are you coming back to Hogwarts this year? Please come, school isn't the same without you. I hope that you have had a good time with the muggles._

_ Love,_

_ Your older bro Harry_

I smiled as I read Harry's letter. Our parents were great friends and had given birth on the same day, just two minutes apart. Harry and I were really close, like brother and sister so he always called himself my big brother.

I had really missed Harry, but he was in England attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was really a witch and my name wasn't really Isabella Swan, it was Isabella Marie Alexandria Snape. My mother Renee had sacrificed herself to save me, and I survived with only a lightning shaped scar while Voldemort 'died.' I had heard rumors that he had returned, and I was sent to Forks, Washington for safety reasons.

Harry was so close to me because once my mother died I lived with him and his family because my dad, Severus Snape, taught Potions at Hogwarts.

While I was in Forks, I came across a vampire family, the Cullen's. I fell in love with Edward Cullen and then two weeks ago he took me into the forest and told me that he didn't want me and that he didn't even love me anymore.

I had spent the last few weeks crying and moping, but I now realized that that was just stupid and pointless. As I thought about all of the pain that I went through this week I began to grow angry. Who did he think he was? Coming in and telling me he loved me and then telling me he didn't and leaving. Whatever! Forget him, I am so moving on.

I glanced back down at Harry's letter and thought back to how much I missed school and all of my friends.

After a few minutes of debating with myself I finally decided to return to Hogwarts.

I pulled out my wand after what seemed like forever and waved it, packing up all of my belongings. Then I walked over to my desk and started writing to Harry.

_Dear Big Bro,_

_ I had a good time here but it came to an end rather sadly and I just want to get out of here, so I have decided to come back. I will tell you all about it when I get back. I have missed you so much and I am really looking forward to seeing you again!_

_ Love,_

_ Your Little Sis Bella_

I finished that letter and then started one to Albus Dumbledore, who was the headmaster of Hogwarts.

_Dear Professor,_

_ I would like to inform you that I would __really__ like to attend Hogwarts next year. Is it safe for me to return home? Please respond soon._

_ Love,_

_ Isabella Snape_

I sighed and sent Hedwig off. I laid down on my bed to wait for a reply, but ended up drifting off to sleep.

I woke up with a start when I heard a loud bang against my window. I looked at my clock and it was three in the morning.

I walked over to the window, opened it, and Hedwig flew in with two pieces of paper on her leg. I rubbed her head appreciatively and she hooted happily.

_Dear Little Bellsy, I am so excited that you are coming back, but I am sorry that things ended so badly in the United States. Be sure to tell me what happened so I can find whoever hurt you and kill them. See you soon!_

_ Love, Your Big Bro Harry_

I smiled as I read his note. If only he knew that he was really a vampire. I'm sure he wouldn't be so brave if he found that out.

_Dear Isabella,_

_ I am delighted to hear that you are coming back! Everything is safe now, so you may return. I have scheduled for Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks to pick you up, and they are to bring you to number twelve Grimmuald place where you will meet up with everyone. They will arrive at six in the morning, so please be prepared. I cannot wait to see you, and I am sure you will do excellent in school this year._

_ Yours Truly,_

_ Albus Dumbledore_

I grinned, anxious to leave. I started to pacing around the room to pass the time. I passed the mirror and noticed that I still looked like Bella Swan, so I concentrated and changed back to my original appearance, long, wavy black hair with a single purple streak and piercing green eyes. I was a metamophigus and was able to change my appearance at will, but I preferred to use my original looks which I was born with, mostly because a lot of people told me that I resembled my mother. I missed her dearly and wished that she was here with me. Many people also said that we had the exact same attitude, fierce, loyal, funny, loud, loving, and knew how to have a good time.

Of course, when I posed as Bella Swan I had to act opposite of all those things, which bothered me a lot. I heard a knock on the door and raced toward the door to let Remus and Tonks in.

"Tonks!" I cried as I gave her a huge hug which she gladly returned.

"How have you been?" I asked, excitedly.

"Good. What about you?"

"Alright," I replied.

"Hello Bella," Remus Lupin said, smiling at me.

"Remus!" I squealed as I launched myself at him. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Bells, but we really must be going."

"Okay," I said, anxious to see everyone.

I grabbed onto Remus's arm and we apparated to number twelve Grimmuald place, going back to my real magical life, and leaving behind boring, quiet Bella Swan.


	2. Chapter 2

**BELLA'S POV**

As soon as we arrived I was engulfed into the loving arms of Molly Weasley.

"I've missed you Bella! How have you been? You must be starving, you look so skinny!" Molly said, while looking me over.

"I've missed you too Molly," I said, smiling. "Is everyone sleeping?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded and an evil grin spread across my face as an idea popped into my head and Molly instantly began to look wary.

"Bella please tell me what horrible idea has caused you to smile like that."

I smirked and used my metamorphigus to change into Mrs. Weasley.

"Can I go wake Ron and Harry up?" I asked. Molly smiled when she saw where I was going with this and nodded.

"But be careful," she called after me as I rushed up the stairs.

Opening the door, I saw Ron and Harry sprawled out on their beds, snoring. I pulled out my wand and sprayed Harry and Ron with cold water. They both sprang up and fell off of their beds, and I had to try my hardest not to laugh.

"Ronald! Harry! Get up right now or you won't be getting any breakfast!" I yelled in my best impression of Mrs. Weasley's voice. Ron stood up and said with a panicked expression on his face, "Sorry mum, we'll be down in two minutes just please give us breakfast."

"Wait," Harry said, pulling himself off of the floor. "It's only seven, breakfast doesn't start until eight-thirty."

"We have a special guest today so it's earlier," I retorted.

"Is Bella here?" Harry asked, perking up.

"Yes I am big bro," I said, changing back into myself.

"Bella!" They both shouted, launching themselves at me. I laughed and hugged them back. I had really missed them.

"Ron, you should have seen your face when I mentioned no breakfast," I said, laughing.

Ron rolled his eyes and then turned serious. "Did we really miss it?"

I laughed. "No Ronald, you have about two more hours."

"So," Harry said. "Are you going to tell me why you decided to come back?"

"Later," I said.

He nodded , but I could see the curiosity burning inside him. We spent the next hour discussing everything that I has missed the previous year. I was worried when Harry had told me that he had faced Voldemort, but he assured me that he was find and there was nothing to worry about so I let it go for the time being.

I heard Hermione and Ginny running toward the room and I pushed Harry off of the bed and changed my appearance so that I looked like Harry.

"Play along," I told Ron who was looking bewildered.

Hermione and Ginny burst in and looked around the room. "Where is she?" Ginny asked.

"Where's who?" I asked, impersonating Harry's voice, just like I did with Mrs. Weasley.

"Bella, of course," Hermione said impatiently.

"She's not here," I lied smoothly. "She decided not to come after all."

Both of their faces fell. "Really?" Ginny asked.

"Nope," I said, changing back into myself.

"Bella!" They squealed and tackled me.

"Hey guys! Sorry about that, I just couldn't resist."

"Where's the real Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Right here," Harry said emerging from under the bed, rubbing his head.

"What happened to your head bro?" I asked, innocently.

"Well sis, when you pushed me off the bed I hit my head on the table," he said sourly.

"Sorry," I said, jumping up to give him a hug.

"It's alright," he said, easily forgiving me just like I knew he would. Siblings couldn't fight for too long.

"Do you know if daddy is here?" I asked.

"He's not here. Dumbledore thought that it would be nice to surprise him on the first day of school," Harry explained.

I nodded, disappointed. I had really missed my dad while I was away. I had only talked to him through letters.

"Is Sirius here?" I asked.

"He sure is," a voice said from the doorway.

"Uncle Sirius!" I shouted as I ran to him, nearly knocking him down.

He chuckled at my enthusiasm. "It's good to see you too Bella. I have missed you so much."

"I missed you too," I mumbled, still hugging him.

"Breakfast time!" Mrs. Weasley hollered at us from downstairs.

Ron jumped up. "Finally, I'm starving," he said, and then he ran down the stairs. We all laughed at his enthusiasm and followed after him.

"Good morning everyone," Molly greeted as we all appeared.

We all sat down at the table and began to dig in.

I sat between Sirius and Harry and we all told stories, laughed, and had a good time with each other. After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and I went up to the girl's room.

"So Bella, are you finally going to tell me what happened that made you decide to come back?" Harry asked for what seemed like the hundredth time, curiosity obvious on his face.

"You're so impatient," I told him and he just shrugged.

"Fine," I said. "But you have to promise that you won't get mad."

Harry nodded and I began to tell them the whole story of Edward, the Cullen's, and vampires. I told them about our love, their diet, James, my disastrous birthday party, and finally Edward leaving me in the forest.

Harry looked murderous by the end of my story. I leaned my head against his chest, knowing that it would calm him down.

"You promised," I said.

"That was before I knew what he did to you," Harry replied angrily.

"But you still promised," I pointed out.

Harry sighed. "I guess you're right, but I still hate that jerk."

I grinned triumphantly while Harry continued his list of insults that he would call Edward if he ever ran into him.

We spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and catching up with each other. At night, I crawled into my bed which was in the room that I was sharing with Hermione and Ginny.

"Bella?" Hermione called out.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure your alright? With the Cullen's."

"No, I'm not, but I'm done with crying over them. I'm just mad at them now and I hope I never have to see their faces again. I just want to find someone who actually cares for me," I said.

"You'll find someone," Hermione said confidently.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I just do. You're a great person Bella and anyone with brains will see that. You're smart, pretty, funny, and talented. Of course you'll find someone," Hermione told me.

"Thanks Hermione, that means a lot to me," I said, a little embarrassed after hearing her praise.

"You're welcome Bella."

I drifted off to sleep, thinking about all of the fun and adventures that I was going to have this year with all of my friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**BELLA'S POV**

"Wake up Bellsy," Harry said.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled, rolling over.

Harry chuckled and said, "If you don't get up in five seconds I'm going to have to get the water bucket."

"No you won't," I said.

Just then icy cold water splashed on my bed, soaking me all over.

I jumped out of bed yelling, "You're dead Potter!"

Harry took off running and I heard Hermione and Ginny laughing as I ran after him. "Get back here you coward!" I shouted as I chased him down the stairs.

When we arrived in the kitchen there were several shocked gasps and a few chuckles as they saw me soaking wet with a murderous expression and Harry running for his life.

"What's going on here?" Someone asked from the hallway.

I looked over and my face lit up. "Daddy!" I squealed in delight and launched myself at him.

"I've missed you so much!" I said while hugging him.

"I've missed you too. What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming," Snape said.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts," I explained.

"Oh that's wonderful! I've missed my favorite student."

I grinned. "Now, why are you all wet?" He asked.

Harry started retreating toward the stairs . I ran at him and tackled him to the ground. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Nowhere," Harry mumbled, scared.

I looked up at my dad and said, "This one right here thought it would be funny to wake me up by pouring a bucket of water on me," I explained while trying to restrain Harry.

"Is this true Potter?" Snape asked.

"Yes sir," Harry mumbled.

"Let him go Bella," Snape told me.

I reluctantly got off of Harry and he ran up the stairs. "This isn't over Potter!" I called after him.

Snape chuckled and said, "Bella, maybe you should go change your clothes into something dry."

I nodded and ran up the stairs. I entered my room and saw Hermione and Ginny waiting for me.

"What did you do to Harry?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

"Nothing yet, but I need help coming up with a revenge plan," I said while looking through my suitcase for something to wear.

"Guess what?" I asked as I settled on dark blue skinny jeans and a red tank top.

"What?" They asked at the same time.

"Daddy's here!" I said happily.

"Oh Bella, that's great," Hermione said.

We went over revenge plans while I changed and then we went downstairs to breakfast.

I sat next to Snape and I told him all about Forks and the Cullen's. He looked ready to kill when I told him what Edward said to me in the forest, but I managed to calm him down.

"He better hope that I never run into him," he threatened in an icy voice.

I shivered at his tone. "You'll probably never see him," I told him.

"Lucky for him," Snape mumbled.

I chuckled and gave him a hug. "I really missed you daddy."

"I missed you too sweetheart," Snape said.

I smiled. Snape always put on a mask and pretended to be a mean, heartless man, but he was really nice, kind, and caring.

"Severus," Molly said.

"Yes?"

"We were all going to Diagon Alley to get the children's supplies. Would you like to go?"

He glanced at me apologetically. "I'm sorry Bella, but I can't. I have business to attend to at Hogwarts."

I sighed internally, it seemed that he always had business to attend to at Hogwarts. I put on a brave face and said, "that's okay daddy, you go do what you have to."

He kissed me on my forehead, said his goodbyes, and then left.

I sighed loudly and Harry put his arm around me. Harry was the only one who knew how much it hurt me when Snape did this to me.

"Are you ready to go?" Molly asked us. I nodded my head and we grabbed our coats and left.

When we arrived, we split into two groups . Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I went to get all our supplies while Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went to get school robes. We finished our shopping quickly so we decided to walk around.

We heard a horrible wailing in the distance and we went to investigate. It turned out to be a karaoke show going on on the side of the road. Some woman was singing and it sounded like someone was grinding nails.

When she finished, many people booed her off of the stage. The guy in charge picked up the microphone and said, "Okay, who's next?"

When nobody answered he said, "Oh come on, it won't be hard to beat that performance."

The guy searched the crowd and then pointed at me, "you, get on up here."

"No, I can't," I said.

"Nonsense," Harry said, pushing me toward the stage. "You have an amazing voice."

I grumbled to myself and walked up. When the man saw me he gasped in shock. "You're Isabella Snape," he said. "The one who defeated you-know-who."

I just grabbed the microphone and said, "This song goes out to my ex-boyfriend!"

Here's the thing  
We started out friends  
It was cool, but it was all pretend  
Yeah, yeah, since you been gone  
Your dedicated, you took the time  
Wasn't long, til I called you mine  
Yeah, yeah, since you been gone  
And all you'd ever hear me say  
Is how I pictured me with you  
That's all you'd ever hear me say

But since you been gone  
I can breathe for the first time  
I'm so moving on, yeah yeah  
Thanks to you now I get what I want  
Since you been gone

How can I put it, you put me on  
I even fell for that stupid love song  
Yeah, yeah, since you been gone  
How come I'd never hear you say  
I just wanna be with you  
Guess you never felt that way

But since you been gone  
I can breathe for the first time  
I'm so moving on, yeah yeah  
Thanks to you now I get what I want  
Since you been gone

You had your chance, you blew it  
Out of sight, out of mind  
Shut your mouth, I just can't take it  
Again and again and again and again

Since you been gone (since you been gone)  
I can breathe for the first time  
I'm so moving on, yeah yeah  
Thanks to you (thanks to you)  
Now I get, I get what I want  
I can breathe for the first time  
I'm so moving on, yeah yeah  
Thanks to you (thanks to you)  
Now I get (I get)  
You should know, that I get  
I get what I want

Since you been gone  
Since you been gone  
Since you been gone

By the end of my performance, the crowd had tripled in size and everyone was cheering.

I bowed my head and stepped off of the stage. I spotted my friends in the crowd and walked over to them. "You were amazing Bella," Harry said.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

"I never knew you could sing," Hermione said.

I smiled at her and we headed over to Fred and George's Joke Shop, where we would meet up with the others. Fred and George were Ron's older brothers. They were hilarious and could always make me laugh.

Amazed, I entered the joke shop. Everywhere I looked there were bright colors and demonstrations of different products.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" A voice asked from behind me. I turned around and saw Fred Weasley.

"Fred!" I cried giving him a big hug. "I've missed my jokester of a big brother."

"And I missed my amazing little sis," Fred said, returning my hug. "I didn't know you were coming. Are you going back to Hogwarts this year?"

I nodded. "That's great, but it probably will be boring without us."

I laughed. "You're probably right. Where's George?"

"Probably around back," Fred replied. "Come on, let's go look."

They had even more stuff around back, boxes piled high to the ceiling and prototypes that were still being tested and extra things of what was in front. I saw George with his head in a box, rummaging around for something.

"George," Fred said. "We have a special guest."

"Who?" George asked, pulling himself out of the box. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"Bella?" He asked, stunned.

"The one and only," I said grinning.

He grinned and gave me a big hug. "I missed you, you crazy little girl."

"I missed you too," I said.

We spent the next twenty minutes catching up with each other. They told me all about their business and I told them about my time in Forks. They both had the same reactions as Harry and Snape when I told them what Edward told me in the forest. Edward is lucky he doesn't know about the wizarding world, because if he did he would have a whole group of wizards after him.

"Bells," Harry called. "We need to go."

"Okay."

I said my goodbyes to Fred and George and then I followed Harry out the door. I sensed someone staring at me, so I turned around just in time to see a boy with blonde hair turning away from me. I stared at him for a couple seconds before following the others out.

On the way back I couldn't help but think of the boy who was staring at me in the Joke shop. Well maybe I would get to see him at Hogwarts, I thought to myself, and then I cheered up at the thought. I wanted to know who the mystery man was.


	4. Chapter 4

**BPOV**

"Bella wake up," I heard a voice say.

"Go away," I muttered.

"Do I have to spray you with water again?" Harry asked.

My eyes widened and I shot out of bed. "You do that again and your dead Potter!" I threatened in a menacing tone that made him flinch.

"Okay, I won't," Harry said. "But you really do need to get up. We leave in an hour."

"Fine, I'll be down in a minute," I said, getting up and heading toward the bathroom to shower and change.

"Bella?" Harry called out.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad that you're back. Hogwarts hasn't been the same since you left, and I've really missed you," Harry said.

I smiled warmly at him. "Thank big bro, that means a lot to me and I have missed you too."

He grinned and walked out the door. I went to the bathroom to change, thinking about how much I missed Hogwarts. Finally, I was able to go to school like a normal kid in the wizarding world. When I went to Hogwarts before, I was tutored and didn't have classes with other students, so I was really looking forward to getting to know other witches and wizards my age.

When I finished changing, I headed down for breakfast and saw everyone waiting for me.

"Sorry I took so long," I said apologetically.

"It's alright dear," Molly said, handing me a bid plate of chocolate chip pancakes.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," I said, digging in right away.

Harry, Ron, and I talked about Quidditch during breakfast, while Hermione read her Potions book. Harry was the team captain this year, and he was really excited. After an hour, we were all ready and heading out the door.

The ride to the station was quiet. We were all absorbed in our own thoughts. When we arrived at the train station, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley kissed us goodbye and we boarded the train.

Ron and Hermione went off to do their prefect duties while Harry and I went off to find a carriage. Harry seemed upset that Ginny was sitting with her new boyfriend Dean Thomas, and I smirked at him. Everyone stared at me while we walked by and I began to grow nervous.

"Why are they all staring?" I asked Harry.

"You're a legend Bells, everyone knows who you are and they're curious about you," Harry explained.

I sighed. I hoped I wouldn't have to put up with this all year.

Finally, we found and empty carriage and we stepped in.

"That is definitely going to get annoying," I complained. "Do you think Snape and I will get closer over the year?" I asked Harry.

He looked at me with a sad look. "I sure hope so Bella."

"He's just never there for me and I never really minded, but I'm starting to feel depressed by it. He's always gone and I only hear from him about once or twice a month."

By now I was close to tears. Harry came over and gave me a hug. "Why don't you tell him that?"

"I don't know," I wailed. "I don't know if I can."

"You don't have to do it right away," Harry soothed. "Wait until you're ready."

I nodded. "Thanks Harry. You're always there for me and I don't know what I would do without you."

He grinned at we started discussing happier subjects until Ron and Hermione showed up.

"How was prefect duty?" I asked.

"Boring," Ron replied, sitting down across from me.

"Don't you get to punish all of the troublemakers?" I asked. I thought Ron would like doing that.

"Only Malfoy, but we aren't allowed to give out detentions until we arrive at school," Hermione explained.

"Who's Malfoy?" I asked curiously.

"A Slytherin," Harry answered. "He's a pureblood and he makes sure that everyone knows it."

"Oh," I said, dropping the subject.

We spent the rest of the ride discussing students at Hogwarts. They told me about nice students who I should befriend and people to avoid.

"I sort of missed wearing these," I said after I changed into my school robes. After the train stopped, I jumped up to see the school that I had missed so much.

"It's even more beautiful than I remember."

Ron rolled his eyes at my comment and we walked off of the train and up to the school.

When we entered the Great Hall, all conversations stopped and everyone turned to stare at me.

I sighed loudly and Harry put a comforting hand on my back and guided me toward the table.

"This is definitely going to get annoying," I muttered after everyone finally returned to their own conversations, but occasionally threw glances my way.

I started filling up my plate with food and dug in. When I finished, I looked around the room, looking for the mystery man from Diagon Alley.

I spotted a blonde boy and instantly knew that that was him. He had light blonde hair and beautiful grey eyes. He was gorgeous.

I nudged Harry. "Who's that guy over there?"

"He's hot," I said, pointing toward him.

Harry followed my gaze and his eyes widened. "That's Draco Malfoy, the jerk I told you about."

"He's a jerk?" I asked sadly.

"Yes he is. He thinks he's better than everyone else. His father's a death eater and everyone thinks that he is one too," Harry told me.

"Are you sure he's a death eater?" I asked.

"His personality fits a death eater perfectly."

"But you're not sure, are you?" I asked.

Harry sighed loudly. "Just stay away from him Bells.

"You're not my father," I replied.

"I'm just looking out for you Bella," Harry said. "I don't want you to get hurt and Malfoy's dangerous."

"How do you know he is?" I asked, stubbornly.

"I just do," Harry said, turning red from anger.

I sighed and let it go. Dumbledore rose from his seat and all talking ceased.

"Welcome back," Dumbledore greeted. "I am glad that you have all returned. We have a new student in Gryffindor this year. Isabella Snape. Miss Snape would you please stand?"

I nervously rose as everyone turned their gaze on me. "I am sure that you will all be very kind and helpful toward her," Dumbledore said as I sat down.

I sensed someone staring at me so I turned around and saw that it was Draco Malfoy.

He narrowed his eyes at me when I met his gaze. I glared at him and turned back around.

Dumbledore continued to talk about teachers and rules while I thought about Draco. I hoped that Harry wasn't right about him.

"C'mon Bella. It's time to go," Hermione said, pulling me out of my reverie. As we walked through the hallway we ran into Malfoy and two big guys.

"Who's your friend Potter?" Malfoy asked Harry, while staring directly at me.

"None of your business," I said coldly.

He glared at me.

"Didn't Dumbledore announce it to everyone just a little while ago? Or were you too busy staring at me to pay attention?" I asked with a smirk.

"I wasn't staring at you," Malfoy shot back angrily.

I raised my eyebrows at him and he glared at me. "If you keep glaring for too long you're going to get wrinkles," I informed him.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron laughed as we left, leaving behind some angry Slytherins.

"That was great," Ron congratulated me.

"Thanks," I said.

"Why were you mean to him?" Harry asked. "I thought you liked Malfoy."

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened and I laughed.

"You like Malfoy?" Ron asked incredulously, sounding like it was the most repulsive thing in the world.

I shrugged and didn't say anything. I honestly didn't know how I felt about him. I felt this strange pull toward him, but when he started acting like a jerk I just wanted to punch him in the face and set him straight. When we reached the Common Room I said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs. I quickly changed and got into bed, exhausted from the long day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Harry Potter!**

**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning, got dressed, and went down to breakfast with Hermione. Just like last night, everyone stared at me as I walked in. I sighed, exasperated. This was getting really old.

"Don't they have anything better to do?" I whispered to Hermione and she chuckled.

Five minutes later Harry and Ron appeared, looking very tired.

"Good morning," I said cheerfully. Ron just grumbled and started eating. It seemed that Ron wasn't energetic until he ate something.

"What's our first class?" I asked.

"Potions with Slytherin," Hermione answered.

Ron and Harry groaned at the mention of Slytherin. We finished our breakfast quickly and headed toward the dungeon where Snape taught Potions.

"Isabella," Snape said when we entered the room.

"Yes Professor?" I asked, scowling as he said my full name.

"You can sit next to Mr. Malfoy."

I sighed, nodded, and went to take my place next to Draco.

"Hello," he said with a smirk on his face.

"You know if you don't wipe that smirk off your face I'm going to have to do it for you," I stated.

He ignored me and it just grew larger, and I turned my head away from him before I did something that I would regret.

"You will be making the Draught of Living Death with your partners, which is on page ten of your books. Now get started," Snape said to the class.

I groaned internally as I turned to face Draco. For once he wasn't smirking. Just like the first time I saw him, I thought he looked hot and I started to stare at him.

"What are you looking at?" Draco asked defensively.

"Nothing," I said, looking down. "Let's just get started." I opened my book and we finished the potion in silence. At the end of the hour, I swiftly walked toward Harry.

"How was Draco?" He asked curiously.

"Not bad," I said. "We didn't really talk."

The rest of the day was uneventful, and people continued to stare at me whenever I walked by. After dinner, I finished my homework and then decided to go on a walk around the castle. It felt nice to walk around without curious eyes following me everywhere.

I came up to the Astronomy Tower and gazed up at the stars. I sat there thinking until I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I turned around and saw Draco Malfoy approaching.

"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly.

"What does it look like?" I retorted

Draco looked annoyed but didn't say anything.

After a few minutes I asked, "Why does everyone think you're a death eater?"

Draco looked at me shocked, before he regained his composure. "Maybe I am," he replied arrogantly.

"I don't believe that," I stated confidently.

'Why not?" he asked angrily.

"Well first of all I think there's more to you than just a mean and arrogant boy. Second of all, what would Voldemort want with you?"

Draco began to shake in anger and I began to taunt him. "Did I hit a nerve there?" I asked sarcastically. He growled and turned into a giant lion. A voice in my head told me to shut up and run but I ignored it.

"Now I see why Voldemort keeps you, he wanted a big kitty to play with," I taunted.

Draco growled again and he swiped his giant paw at me, hitting me in the chest and sending me flying back into the rail. I felt blood oozing from my head before I blacked out, welcoming unconsciousness so I wouldn't feel the aching pain.

**NEXT DAY**

My eyes fluttered open and I saw Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny leaning over my bed anxiously.

"What happened? Where am I?" I asked disoriented.

"You're in the hospital wing," Harry said grabbing my hand. "We were hoping that you could tell us what happened. Who did this to you?" Harry demanded.

"I can't remember," I said. For some strange reason I felt the urge to protect Draco.

"What's wrong with me?"I asked.

"You had two broken ribs, but Madame Pomfrey fixed that up easily, and you had a large cut in your skull, and you have a lot of bruises."

I groaned, trying to get up, but Harry pushed me back down. "No you don't, you aren't allowed to leave until tomorrow morning."

I groaned. "What am I supposed to do for all of that time?"

"Rest and sleep," Harry said. "Now are you sure you can't remember who did this to you?"

Harry looked furious, and I was sure if I told him it was Draco he would go after him and kill him.

I shook my head and Harry looked disappointed. "If you remember be sure to tell me."

I nodded and Harry began to look suspicious, when the doors burst open and Snape rushed in.

"Oh Bella, are you alright?" Snape asked anxiously.

"I'm fine I said, trying to shrug it off.

Snape glared at me. "Bella don't lie, I can tell you're in pain."

I sighed.

"Who did this to you Bella?" Snape demanded.

"She can't remember," Harry mumbled, frustrated.

"What?"

"We keep asking her, but she doesn't remember who did this to her," Harry clarified.

"You really don't remember?" Snape asked.

I shook my head. "Sorry but I just can't."

Snape's expression softened. "It's alright sweetheart. But if you remember make sure you tell me."

"I will," I said, giving him a weak smile.

Snape kissed my forehead and then swept out the door.

I turned and saw everyone staring suspiciously at me.

"I'm tired," I announced. "So I'm going to sleep."

Harry sighed in defeat. "Goodnight Bella, I hope that you feel better."

I watched as they all walked out the door. I felt guilty about lying to Harry but I felt that I needed to protect Draco. I had no idea why but I just felt like I needed to. I thought of why I would feel like that as I drifted off into a long, peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning and groaned. My body felt like I had been run over by a truck. I looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning and I had missed breakfast.

Madam Pomfrey came in with a big tray filled with food.

"Here you are dear," Madam Pomfrey said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore, but other than that I feel fine," I said. "Thank you," I said, gesturing toward the food.

"You're welcome dear. When you finish eating you are free to leave."

I nodded and she left. I finished my breakfast quickly, got changed, and then I headed toward my potions class. Everyone stared at me when I walked in. I blushed and walked up to Snape.

"Sorry I'm late Professor," I whispered quietly so the curious students who were craning their necks toward us couldn't hear.

"It's okay. Are you alright?" Snape asked, concerned.

I shrugged. "I've been better. What are we doing today?"

"Read chapter three and then complete the potion on page 18." I nodded and went to my seat while everyone continued to gaze at me with curious eyes.

Draco determinedly kept his eyes on his book as I sat down.

Harry looked at me and mouthed, "What are you doing here?"

"Learning," I mouthed back.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "But you're hurt."

I ignored him and pulled out my book. Once I finished reading, I started my potion. I looked over at Draco and he was still reading. I reached into my bag and pulled out my potion supplies. I sucked in a breath as pain shot through my bruised arm.

When I looked up Draco was staring at me with pain evident in his eyes. "What?" I asked.

Draco's expression turned from one of pain to surprise and confusion.

"Nothing," he murmured, turning back to his book.

The rest of the lesson passed by quickly.

"Why did you come to class?" Harry demanded. "You're injured!"

"I'm fine Harry."

"Did you remember who did this to you?"

"Nope," I replied.

Harry made an annoyed sound, and we walked to our next lesson in silence.

The rest of the day seemed to take forever. Everyone was pointing their fingers at the bruises and whispering rumors to their friends. A few brave people had the courage to come up and ask me what happened, but I just told them I didn't remember.

By the end of the day, I was so tired that I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I hadn't told anyone that it was Malfoy because I still felt that there was good in him and I don't think that he meant to hurt me. He puts on a mask, but I can see that there is a good side to him.

I woke up at nine and decided to have a walk around the castle. It felt nice to be able to walk around the castle without everyone staring and pointing.

I went back up to the Astronomy Tower and sighed when I saw some of my blood on the rail where my head had collided.

Serene and peaceful, I stared out at the stars that I wasn't able to see in Forks. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and turned to see Draco Malfoy. I smiled at him and turned back to the stars.

"Do you really not know what happened?" He asked.

"I remember everything," I replied.

"Then how can you stand there and smile at me? Don't you want to kill me after what I did to you?"

"No."

"But why?" Draco asked, impatiently.

I turned around to look at him. "There's a lot of rumors going around that you're a death eater, and I don't believe them. You put up this mask that makes people fear you, but I don't believe that that's the real you."

Draco was staring at me with a bewildered expression, clearly not expecting me to say that. "You're not a death eater and you're not a killer, so you shouldn't pretend to be one."

Draco looked beyond words so I continued. "You're a good guy Draco, show people that guy."

I walked away, leaving behind a shocked Draco.

When I entered the Common Room, Harry attacked me in a hug. "Where have you been? I was so worried about you."

"On a walk."

"Why?"

"It just feels nice to be able to walk around the castle without everyone staring and pointing," I explained.

Harry looked at me suspiciously but let it go.

"I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. Good night."

Running up the stairs, I ran into Hermione. "Where were you really?' she asked.

I blushed. "Talking to Draco Malfoy."

Her eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"It told him that I didn't believe that he was a death eater."

"What did he say to that?" She asked curiously. I guessed that nobody had questioned Draco Malfoy about his position as a death eater.

"He sort of went into shock and didn't say anything."

Hermione laughed. We went up the stairs and fell asleep talking about Draco Malfoy.

**NEXT DAY**

The next day I woke up late and rushed to the Great Hall.

"Hey! If it isn't Bella the bruised."

I spun around and saw Crabbe and Goyle laughing like maniacs, and Draco looking like he wished he could disappear.

"I wouldn't make fun of me if I were you," I stated.

"Why not?"

"Because I could tell everyone that you did this to me."

"But I didn't, and I thought that you couldn't remember," Goyle said, looking worried.

"I don't, but I could tell everyone it was you. I'm sure Snape would be delighted to find out who hurt his daughter."

Goyle started to panic. "Okay, I'll be nice I'm sorry."

I laughed and walked over to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"Nothing. Just Crabbe and Goyle being idiots."

"What did they do?" Harry asked.

"Just calling me names."

"What about Malfoy?"

"He didn't say anything," I told them.

Harry's eyes narrowed, calculating. "He's the one who did this to you, isn't he?"

I was shocked. How did he find out?"

"No, I don't think so," I lied. "I told you I didn't remember who did it."

"You're lying Bella," Harry said. "Malfoy hurt you and you've been lying to everyone about it."

"Harry please. I didn't mean to."

"But you did," Harry said angrily. "I thought we were closer than that, but I guess I was wrong."

"Just let me explain," I cried desperately.

"I'm sorry, but I can't talk about this right now."

Harry got up and left. Ron and Hermione stared after him, open mouthed. My tears were streaming down my face and people were starting to notice.

I ran out of the Great Hall and went to an empty corridor, and slumped against the wall, sobbing. I put my head in my hands, thinking about how I had ruined everything.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I tensed. I looked up and saw the face of Draco Malfoy. What was he doing here?

**I hoped you liked this chapter. Thank you so much who has added my story to their favorites list. Please REVIEW, I love to hear them. Reviews are what keep the story going. Thank you so much for all of your support and I will try to update again as soon as I can.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or Harry Potter!**

**BPOV**

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to wipe my tears away.

"I saw that you were upset. What's wrong?" Draco asked kindly.

My sobs picked up again and Draco sat down and put his arm around me.

"It's Harry," I cried. "He found out that you hurt me and he's angry with me."

"I'm sure he'll get over it. He really cares about you," Draco consoled.

I didn't respond, I just continued crying while Draco held me.

After awhile, I was finally able to stop. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying.

"No problem," he replied. "I'm happy to help."

I smiled at him. "Should we get to class?"

"You are not ready to go to class, so I'm just going to have to cheer you up," Draco answered.

"How?"

He thought for a moment then said, "Let's go for a walk around the lake and I'll tell you all about me."

"What makes you think that I want to hear about you?" I asked, teasing him. I was actually really curious about him.

"Because you like me," Draco replied, grinning.

I blushed. "You like me too," I stated.

He held out a hand and helped me up. "I know."

My heart swelled and he smiled warmly at me.

He told me all about his life, his family, and every single detail about him. After an hour, I felt like I had read a novel on Draco Malfoy. I wanted to know all about him, and it seemed that he wanted me to know the real him. He trusted me and told me everything about his family and Voldemort.

"They're both in his inner circle," Draco explained. "My mom doesn't really have a choice, but my dad would do anything for him. I don't want anything to do with them. I don't like killing and I don't want to be a murderer."

Draco looked so helpless that I stopped and pulled him into a hug. "You aren't a murderer," I murmured.

Draco relaxed and we stayed like that for a few minutes.

He pulled away and said, "It's your turn."

I told him how I always lived with Harry and his parents because Snape was always gone. I told him of my memories of my mom, growing up with Harry, and all of my friends. I told him about the encounter with Voldemort that made Dumbledore decide I needed to hide and leave the wizarding world for awhile. I told him about Renee, Charlie, and Forks. I told him all about the Cullen's and what they were. I must have looked terrible because Draco put his arm around me. I shot him an apologetic glance and told him about my eighteenth birthday party and what Edward told me in the forest.

Draco pulled me into a hug.

"You're not angry?" I asked, thinking back to Harry and Snape's reactions.

"Of course I am," he said. "But I can't really hurt a vampire, can I?"

I laughed. "No, you can't."

We stayed like that for a long time, and I loved it. I felt so safe in Draco's arms.

"What about Snape?" Draco asked when we started walking again.

"What about him?" I asked nervously.

"Do you get along?"

"Yes, but we're not that close." I hesitated and Draco waited patiently. "I love him and he loves me, but we never spend any time together. He was always busy teaching and that's why I stayed with the Potter's. I only hear from him once or twice every month. I was hoping that we would grow closer now that I am going to school here. But we never see each other and I still don't get the chance to talk to him because he's so busy."

Draco pulled me into a hug and held me as I cried. He didn't utter nonsense about everything being okay, he just wordlessly held me, rubbing my back.

"What should I do?" I asked after I calmed down.

"Maybe you should talk to him and tell him how you feel," Draco suggested.

I groaned. "That's what Harry said."

"You don't have to do it, it's just a suggestion."

For the first time I noticed that it was dark outside. I looked at my watch and it was 10:30.

I gasped. "We need to get back."

Draco grabbed my hand and we ran back to the castle together. We walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking away.

I smiled and walked in. The Common Room was empty except for one person. Harry was sitting in a big armchair in front of the fire, looking anxious.

" Bella, we need to talk," Harry said when I walked in.

"Not now, I'm tired," It told him stiffly and went up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

**NEXT DAY**

I woke up and grimaced when I remembered what Harry had told me last night. I was definitely not ready to face him just yet. Exhausted and sleepy, I glanced at the clock and gasped. It was 8:45 and I was missing breakfast.

Jumping up, I got dressed in record time. The corridors were filling up as people went to their first classes of the day.

I ran all the way down to the dungeons for potions class and arrived just in time, out of breath.

I took my seat next to Draco. He glanced at me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, unable to speak yet.

"What happened? I didn't see you at breakfast."

"I overslept and had to run here," I explained when I regained my breath.

Draco chuckled but didn't say anything. A note landed on my desk with my name on it. I opened it up and saw Harry handwriting.

_Dear Bella,_

_ I am so sorry about my behavior the other day. Please let me explain, I really need to talk to you, so meet me in the Astronomy Tower at seven o' clock tonight._

_ Love,_

_ Your Big Bro Harry_

I smiled as I read the letter, relieved that we would finally be able to talk things out. Draco looked at me curiously and I passed him the note. He read it and a smile spread across his face. He looked me in the eye and I nearly melted.

"I told you so," he whispered.

I laughed and tucked the note in my pocket as class began.

When class ended, Draco walked me to my next class. "I'll see you later," he said, kissing my cheek and walking away just like last night.

I sighed contentedly and walked in to Herbology and took a seat next to Hermione who gave me a warming smile, which I happily returned.

Throughout class, Hermione asked me questions about where I had been yesterday. She gave out a little squeak when I told her I was with Draco.

"But I thought that he was the one who hurt you!" She exclaimed reproachfully.

"It was an accident and it was my fault."

Hermione looked curious but could see that I didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't say anything else.

I walked to lunch with Hermione. She was talking about all of the homework that we had to do.  
We passed the Slytherin table and Crabbe yelled out, "Hey mud blood Granger!"

I spun around, pointing my wand at him.

"What did you call her?" I asked menacingly.

"A mud blood," Crabbe said slowly, as if he was talking to a five year old.

"Wrong answer," I said, pointing my wand at him and giving him pig ears and a pig tail.

"There," I said, laughing. "Ears and a tail to match the rest of your body."

"What's going on here?" A cold voice asked from behind me.

I spun around and saw my father assessing the situation with cold eyes.

"Look what she did to me!" Crabbe said desperately, pointing at me.

Snape looked at me for a long time and then turned back to Crabbe. "Goyle, please escort Crabbe to the hospital wing. Isabella please come with me."

I scowled as he called me Isabella, but followed obediently.

Draco looked like he wanted to follow, but I gave him a reassuring smile.

Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall and I gave them a smile as Snape led me away.

He finally stopped and turned around to face me. "What happened?"

"Crabbe called Hermione a mud blood and I knew that she wouldn't do anything so I acted for her."

"No matter what somebody says, you cannot curse them. I'm afraid that I must give you a detention. Tomorrow night at seven in my office," he said before sweeping away.

"I'm sorry daddy," I called after him. "It won't happen again."

Snape paused for a moment, and then kept on walking.

I sighed heavily and walked back towards the Great Hall. I walked over and sat down across from Harry.

"Hey," Harry greeted quietly. "What happened?"

"I gave Crabbe a pig tail and ears for calling Hermione a mud blood and Snape caught me."

"He called you a what?" Ron asked furiously.

"It's no big deal Ron," Hermione said. "Let it go."

"But Hermione!"

"Let it go Ron," Hermione repeated.

Ron huffed and began mumbling under his breath.

"Bella can I talk to you now instead of tonight?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll race you?"

"You're on." Harry said, taking off.

"Cheater," I called as I ran after him.

He only laughed. I took a shortcut and ran up to the Astronomy Tower as fast as I could.

When I arrived, Harry was already sitting down.  
"Cheater," I mumbled as I sat down next to him. Harry looked at the floor and didn't respond.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

Harry finally looked up and said, "First I wanted to say that I am really sorry for what I said yesterday. I know that I really hurt you. I just felt mad that you lied to me and didn't tell me who had hurt you."

"I know, and I'm sorry too. I just knew you would want to hurt him when you found out. I swear that it was an accident. I was making fun of him and he was shaking. I knew I should stop, but I didn't. He's an animagus and when he got angry he changed into a huge animal and his claws hit me, and I hit my head on the rail. That was when I passed out, and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital wing. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I should have. You have to forgive me though, I don't know what I would do without my big brother."

I started to sob and Harry pulled me into his arms. "I could never stay mad at you Bells. You mean so much to me and I am so glad that you are safe. When I found out it was Malfoy who did this to you, I was ready to rip his head off. But then I saw the two of you yesterday. There's something special between you and Draco, and I can't ignore it. He seemed like a completely different person when he was with you, and that was the first time that I have ever seen him smile. When I came in the Great Hall this morning, when you were being taken away by Snape. I looked over at Draco and he was watching you, looking so worried and nervous. He cares about you a lot and I can tell that care about him."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, giving Harry a big hug.

"But if he ever hurts you again, he's dead," Harry threatened.

I rolled my eyes at him and stood up. "Let's go, I'm starving."

Harry laughed and we talked happily the whole way back to the Great Hall.

When we arrived, everyone was leaving. "No!" I cried out. "I'm starving."

"This is why I brought you this," a voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw Draco with a sandwich wrapped in a napkin.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much Draco!"

I took the sandwich and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He turned red and I heard Harry laughing behind me. I turned to glare at him, but he just smiled. "C'mon Bella, we have to get to class."

"I'll see you later Draco, and thanks," I said.

"You're welcome Bella," he said, walking away.

"That was hilarious," Harry said. "I have never seen Draco blush."

I ignored him and ate my sandwich hungrily.

The rest of the day passed slowly. At dinner Harry, Hermione, and Ron all questioned me about Draco. It got annoying after awhile so I just stopped answering their questions.

When we were walking out of the Great Hall, Draco came up to me. "Would you like to go on a walk with me?" He asked.

"Of course," I said, winding my fingers through his.

"Bye guys," I said as Draco led me away.

"Did you have a good day today?" He asked me.

"Yeah, it was alright. Harry and I finally made up, so that's good."  
"Is he ready to kill me for what I did?" Draco asked.

"No, he said as long as it doesn't happen again he doesn't have a problem with you."

After that we walked together in silence. It was a peaceful night, and it felt nice walking around with Draco.

I watched him as we walked and it looked like he was having a silent battle with himself. I left him alone so he could think, and just enjoyed the beautiful night.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"I really like you, will you be my girlfriend?"

Draco looked so nervous.

I smiled. "Of course I will, and I really like you too."

A huge smile spread across his face, but then turned serious.

"Can I ask you something else?"

I nodded.

"Can I kiss you?"

I smiled and walked up to him until our lips were only inches apart.

"Yes," I breathed and he shuddered and closed the short distance between us.

I don't know how long it lasted, all I could think about was how wonderful it was. When we pulled away, we both had big goofy grins on our faces.

He looked up at the sky and said, "It's late we should probably get back."

I pouted. "Do we have to? Can't we stay here?"

"I wish," he said, laughing at my expression.

He put his arm around me and he walked me to the Gryffindor Common Room.

When we arrived Draco sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Draco leaned in and gave me a sweet, yet passionate kiss. I savored the moment, knowing that I wouldn't be able to do this until tomorrow.

We unwillingly broke the kiss, and I walked into the Common Room with a huge smile on my face.

I started dancing and skipping around the room, until I heard laughing. I spun around and saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron watching me with amused expressions.

"I take it that you had a good time," Harry chuckled.

I blushed, but couldn't stop grinning. "It was wonderful!"

"I'm glad," Harry said sincerely.

"You two kissed didn't you?" Hermione asked.

Ron gasped and Harry's smile looked a little forced.

"Yes," I sighed happily.

"Well I am going to bed," Harry announced. "Night everyone, and I'm glad you had a good time tonight."

"Night big bro!" I called after him.

I told Hermione all about my night with Draco and she congratulated me before we went to bed. I had a long peaceful sleep that night, Draco starring in all of my dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR TWILIGHT!**

**BPOV**

I woke up early the next morning, and got ready quickly. I met Harry in the Common Room and we walked toward the Great Hall together.

"Why didn't you want to hear about my night with Draco?" I asked.

"I don't want to know about my little sister's love life," Harry said.

"I think your jealous that I have a boyfriend and you don't have a girlfriend," I said, grinning.

"Bella," Harry whined.

"I could always talk to Ginny for you," I offered.

"You are so dead Bells," Harry said.

I ran away and Harry chased after me. I ran right past Draco who watched me with an amused expression.

Harry stopped right next to Draco. "If you talk to Ginny I'll tell Draco what you did when you got back last night," Harry yelled after me.

I gasped in horror and stopped dead in my tracks, thinking back to all of my dancing and skipping.

Draco looked curious, but I ran at Harry, tackling him to the ground.

"You better not," I said menacingly. "I promise I won't say a thing to Ginny."

"Thank you, now let me up," Harry said impatiently.

"Are you two always like this?" Draco asked.

"Pretty much," Harry answered.

"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked.

"Yes," I said, grabbing his hand.

Harry smiled. "You two go ahead and I'll catch up with you later."

Draco turned to me and kissed me, and it was just as amazing as last night.

When I pulled away, we were both smiling. He put his arm around my waist as we walked toward the Great Hall.

"I heard we're getting five more students," Draco said.

"Really, why?"

"I don't know, but I don't think that they're wizards."

When we reached the Great Hall Draco said, "I'll walk with you to Potions." He gave me a quick peck on the lips and walked away.

"Draco said we were getting new students, do you know who they are?" I asked, once I sat down.

They all glanced at each other uncomfortably and said, "No."

I narrowed my eyes at them suspiciously. "You're lying."

"Okay, we know who it is. Just wait and Dumbledore will introduce them," Harry told me

I sighed heavily, exasperated. "Alright." I waited anxiously for Dumbledore to talk, and was relieved when he finally stood up.  
"Good morning everyone," he greeted cheerfully. "It is my pleasure to announce that we have five new students. They are not wizards, they are vampires and they are here to learn about magic. They only drink the blood of animals, so you have nothing to fear."

I froze, not liking the direction that this was going, and Harry grabbed my hand to comfort me. It couldn't be them, it just couldn't! But of course, it was them. I watched as they all glided in with disturbing grace.

"I would like to introduce you to the Cullen's," Dumbledore introduced. "Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper are sixth years, and Alice and Edward are fifth years."

I put my head in my hands and tried not to think. I was finally improving and moving on, and then they just had to show up. Harry put his arm around me and whispered, "It will be alright Bella. Don't worry we won't let them near you."

I nodded and waited for everyone to finish eating. When I got up, Draco came over and put his arm around me. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I think so," I sighed.

When we walked into Snape's classroom, I gasped in pain as I saw Edward sitting in the back. He looked exactly the same as the day he had left me in the forest. I quickly went to my seat before he could notice my staring. Draco sat down next to me, grabbed my hand, and rubbed soothing circles that immediately calmed me down.

Snape walked in and looked at a note on his desk. His eyes widened and he looked up at Edward before glancing at me questioningly.

I nodded once, telling him that that was the same person who had broken my heart. His expression darkened, and he was in a bad mood throughout the entire class.

"You may leave," Snape said coldly when class ended. "Except for Isabella."

"He has got to stop calling me that," I murmured to Draco.

"I'll see you later," he said before walking away.

"That's him?" Snape demanded once everyone had left.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"He better watch out or I'm going to kill him," Snape threatened.

"You can't hurt students," I pointed out.

Snape sighed and opened his arms up for me. I gladly walked into them and he said, "I'm sorry, you're the one that he hurt. How are you? I know he really hurt you so it must have been awful."

"It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It was shocking but it honestly didn't hurt too much."

"I'm glad. Does that have anything to do with Draco Malfoy?"

"What?" I exclaimed. How did he find out about that?

"I'm a teacher, and news travels fast," he chuckled. "And I saw you two holding hands under the desk."

I was hoping that I could tell him, so I could break the news to him easily.

"I'm okay with it, you know. Draco's a good guy and you two seem very good together."  
I relaxed. "Thanks."

Snape let go of me. "You better go or you'll be late."

"Alright," I said, gathering my stuff and walking away.

"Oh, daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for everything."

His face softened. "You're welcome sweetheart."

I walked out the door and saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco backing away quickly, trying to hide something behind their backs that looked suspiciously like extendable ears.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

They all shook their heads frantically. I loved it that I was able to scare them.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. You didn't hear anything that I didn't want you to."

Before they could respond Edward Cullen came around the corner looking confused. My hands clenched into fists and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco looked between us nervously.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear you talking about me. What did I do to you, I don't even know you."

"Oh yes you do, I lived in Forks with you."

Confusion flickered across his face and I laughed. "I changed my appearance while I was there so I wouldn't look like I normally do."

"Who were you pretending to be then?"

My grin widened. "The one you left heartbroken in the forest."

He gasped. "No! Bella Swan is the complete opposite of you, you're not her."

"Well, I'll just have to show you," I said, changing my appearance so I looked like Bella Swan again.

Pain flashed in Edward's eyes but it was gone quickly.

"I acted like a shy, sweet, innocent girl and you fell for it."

Edward reached up to touch my face, but I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I yelled, changing back into myself. "I'm Isabella Snape, not Swan, the Bella you loved doesn't exist."

"Yes she does, deep down inside that Bella exists, and I'm going to do everything I can to get her back."

"I'll tell you now that that's a waste of time," I replied nastily.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not giving up," Edward said.

I didn't respond. I pushed past Harry and walked away. When I was out of sight I ran as fast as I could. I just wanted to get out of there. I ran into an empty classroom and let it all out.

**DRACO'S POV**

I watched as Bella left and then I turned back to Cullen. How dare he say something like that to MY Bella.

"Leave her alone," Harry spit out.

"And you are?" Edward asked lazily.

"I'm her big brother Harry, those are her best friends Ron and Hermione, and that is her boyfriend Draco Malfoy."

Edward looked me up and down and then glared while I smirked at him.

"Stay away from her," Harry warned, and we all turned to find Bella. We thought she would be a little bit ahead of us, but she wasn't. Anxious and afraid, we began running around the castle looking for her.

"Should we continue looking tomorrow?" Ron asked, when the clock had struck eleven.

Everyone looked at Harry and he nodded, defeated.

"I think so," he said unwillingly. "She's somewhere in the castle, so she should be safe."

We all nodded and went our separate ways. I heard footsteps running after me and I turned around to see Harry bounding over.

"I just wanted to say thank you for searching for Bella with me."

"I'll always be there to help if Bella is in trouble," I stated fiercely.

Harry stared at me searchingly and then smiled. "I must admit at first I thought this wasn't going to last. Then I saw you with her that day, and I saw how you looked at her. Then tonight, I can see you really do care about her and I am sorry that I ever doubted you."

"You had your reasons," I said, completely taken aback by his apology. "I haven't always been nice to you."

Harry smiled. "Do you want to start over, maybe as friends?"

"I would like that," I said. "And I'm sure Bella will too."

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Who would have ever thought that Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would be friends? I just hoped that we would be able to find Bella tomorrow.

**BELLA'S POV**

I woke up the next morning on a stone floor. I groaned, this was so uncomfortable. I opened my eyes and saw that I was still in the empty classroom.

Quickly, I jumped up and ran to Gryffindor Tower to shower and change. When I entered I saw that is was empty. Everyone must be at breakfast.

I ran up the stairs, showered, changed, and ran to my Potions Class just as breakfast was finishing.

"Bella!" Someone called. I was just outside the Potions door. Turning around, I saw Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco running over to me. Harry grabbed me in a big hug and spun me around. When he put me down the other three also gave me big hugs.

"Why are you all so happy to see me?" I asked, confused.

"We thought that you were missing," Draco explained. "Where were you?"

"I fell asleep in an empty classroom," I said quietly.

"Why were you in an empty classroom?" Harry demanded.

"We're going to be late," I said, trying to avoid that topic of conversation and walking into the classroom.

Harry mumbled angrily to himself about my stubbornness, but followed me inside.

Draco took his spot next to me and grabbed my hand. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I was just in shock after talking to him. I'm fine now."

He didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything. Instead he rubbed soothing circles on my palm.

Halfway through class, Snape walked over to our table. "Isabella?"

"Yes Professor?"

"Why didn't you come to do your detention last night?"

Oh! I had completely forgotten about that. "I'm so sorry sir, I totally forgot."

Snape looked at me, sensing that something was wrong. "What happened?"

I looked around and saw several curious listeners craning their necks so that they could hear what I was about to say. "Can I do my detention tonight and I will explain then?"

He nodded and walked away, realizing that this was not the right place to have a serious conversation.

"Why do you have detention?" Draco asked.

I laughed, remembering. "I gave Goyle pig ears and a tail."

"You are one evil girl," he said, chuckling.

I smiled angelically.

"Would you like to go on a walk with me before your detention?"

"Sure," I answered enthusiastically. I had not spent any time with Draco in a long time so I was really looking forward to it.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Harry kept asking me what happened to me last night and why I hadn't come back to Gryffindor Tower, and I eventually caved in and told him.

Harry's eyes glinted dangerously when I finished telling him. "I'm going to kill him," Harry threatened after I told him.

"He's a vampire, you can't kill him," I pointed out, wanting to get this over with so I could go and eat dinner.

"I'll find a way."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand. "C'mon we're missing dinner."

When we walked into the Great Hall almost everyone stared at us and we quickly walked to our table. I smiled brightly at Draco as we passed his table and he happily returned it.

When we reached the table Dumbledore called out to us. "Miss Snape and Mr. Potter, please come up here," Dumbledore instructed. Harry and I glanced nervously at each other and made our way to the staff table, while everyone continued to star, anxious to see what was about to happen.

When we approached the table, Dumbledore said, "We do not tolerate lateness. Why are you late?"

Harry and I looked at each other and started speaking at the same time.

"It's his fault! He forced me to tell him something that I didn't want to tell him," I said, while Harry said, "She just _had _to tell me something and wouldn't let me eat until she told me!"

I gasped. "You are such a liar."

"How?" Harry asked indignantly.

"You've been begging me to tell you all day!"  
Harry and I ranted for while the teachers watched us with amused expressions.

"That is enough," Dumbledore chuckled. "I was only kidding, you aren't in any trouble."

We immediately relaxed. "Miss Snape, I need to speak to you tonight. My office at seven."

I glanced at Snape. "Professor, I have a detention tonight."

"With who?"

"Professor Snape," I replied and Dumbledore laughed.

"Severus, can Bella please do her detention tomorrow?"

"That's fine," Snape said, but I could tell that he didn't look to happy. He wanted to know what happened to me and he didn't want to wait any longer to find out.

We walked down to the table where Ron and Hermione were sitting and sat down.

"I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have said anything," Harry apologized.

"I'm sorry too, we both should have just kept our mouths shut."

We are quickly and exited the Great Hall. After awhile Draco caught up to us.

"Hi," he said, giving me a hug.

"Hey," I said, smiling.

"Are we still going on a walk?" He asked.

I nodded. "Let's go."

"Bye guys!" I called as Draco led me away.

I grabbed his hand and he smiled. "You and Harry are hilarious when you fight," he said, chuckling.

I laughed. He must have heard us talking to Dumbledore. "He's like my big brother, it's fun to mess with him."

"Why were you late?"

"I finally cracked and told Harry what happened last night."

"Can you tell me?" Draco asked.

I sighed and launched into the whole story. Draco put him arm around me to comfort me.

"It will be alright and if he gets anywhere near you, we'll just have to show him what happens when he goes after my girl."

I laughed, thrilled that he considered me his. "Thanks."

I glanced at the clock and gasped. "I have to go, it's almost seven."

"Okay, tell me all about it tomorrow."

He pulled me close and kissed me softly on the lips. I smiled. "Bye."

I ran to Dumbledore's office and arrived breathless.

"Hello Professor," I greeted politely.

"I have terrible news for you Bella."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I have been thinking about your connection to Voldemort through the scar on your right arm. I have come to believe that that is why you are able to speak Parseltongue and why you have those dreams in your sleep. I have recently seen a prophecy about you and Voldemort. It said 'Neither can live while the other survives.'"

I gasped, realizing what that meant. "I have to kill him, or he has to kill me?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore said, plaintively.

I sank down in the chair across from him, feeling faint.

"I'm sorry Bella, but you will have to face him one day. One day next week I am going to arrange for you to meet a friend of mine to receive some extra training. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head.

Dumbledore gave me a sympathetic look and I stepped out of the room. I didn't feel like facing Harry right now so I decided to walk around the castle.

How could everything fall apart so quickly? Everything was perfect until I found that out. I guess I had always known that I would have to face him, but it was still a big shock. And now I have to go away to get some special training for who knows how long. I would have to leave Draco, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Snape behind.

As I was walking, I decided to see Snape. He would know what to say. While I was walking to the dungeons, I just lost it and tears started streaming down my face.

I thrust the door open and saw Draco and Snape talking. Draco looked shocked into silence but Snape looked sad, understanding, sympathetic, and most of all worried.

"Did Dumbledore tell you?" He asked.

I nodded my head weakly. I knew I looked pathetic, but I really didn't care at the moment.

Snape opened his arms for me and I threw myself into them. "I don't want to do it," I wailed.

"Shh, I know sweetheart, but it will all be okay."

"How?" I asked, not seeing any hope at all.

"I don't know," he admitted meekly.

I groaned. "Thanks, you're so much help."

Snape let me go when I was in more control of my emotions. I turned around and saw a very confused Draco.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It's fine, what happened?"

"You go ahead and tell him," Snape said.

I nodded, grabbed Draco's hand, and pulled him out the door.

"What happened Bella?" Draco asked, looking concerned.

"Do you know the story about me and Voldemort? How he killed my mother but couldn't kill me?"

Draco nodded.

"And you know that he's back?"

Draco gave another curt nod, possible sensing where this was going. "Well Dumbledore found a prophecy about Voldemort and I. It said, 'Neither can live while the other survives'."

Draco gasped, looking horrified. "But that means..."

I nodded. "I have to kill him or he has to kill me."

Draco started stuttering and I placed a calming hand on his arm.

"Dumbledore wants me to go see a friend of his next week to start training."

Draco seemed to go paler and he pulled me into a tight hug. "What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I'm going to go, learn as much as I can, then I'm going to face him and hopefully kill him."

Draco shuddered. "I don't even want to think about that. What if you get hurt?"

I didn't respond, not wanting to think about that possibility.

"Let's not think about that," I suggested, and he nodded.

I pulled away and he still looked extremely worried.

I put my arms around his neck. "Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise. I'll always be there for you, I won't ever leave."

The pain in Draco's eyes were replaced with love. We both leaned in at the same time and our lips met. His arms wrapped around me waist and mine tightened around his neck. Draco tasted like spearmint and it instantly relaxed me.

We broke apart, panting and smiling.

"I love you," I whispered.

Draco smiled hugely. "I love you too."

My heart fluttered at those words and I pulled him in for another kiss, which was much sweeter. That night, I went to sleep, dreaming about love and Draco, rather than pain and Voldemort.

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, I really appreciate all of them, and I love hearing all of them! Thank you so much for all of your support, please keep reading, and I hope you will continue to enjoy it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**BPOV**

The next morning I walked down to the Common Room to find Harry waiting for me. "What did Dumbledore say to you?" He asked.

I sighed and told him the whole story. Once I finished, Harry pulled me into a big hug.

"I know how to cheer you up." Harry said.

"How?" I asked.

"I'll race you to the Great Hall!"

I grinned. "You're on bro."

"Ready set,"

"GO!"  
We both shouted.

Harry and I were tied all the way until we reached the last corridor, where a huge group of Slytherins were walking toward the Great Hall. Harry and I started running faster and there were several shouts of complaints as we pushed our way through the crowd. I was smaller than Harry so I was able to weave my way through the crowd easier. I saw Draco in the front of the big group. I smiled at him and he smiled back, looking confused.

"Cheater!" Harry yelled after me from way in the back.

I laughed and continued running toward the Great Hall at top speed. I arrived and took a seat next to Hermione.

"Good morning," I said brightly.

"Good morning," Hermione replied.

I saw Harry enter the Great Hall, out of breath, searching for me.

Quickly, I whispered my plan to Hermione and climbed under the table. Harry came over and sat down across from Hermione.

"Where's Bella?" He asked.

"I don't know, she hasn't arrived yet," Hermione lied.

"But she was ahead of me."

"Maybe Cullen took her," she said, and I had to try to stifle my laughter at Hermione's genius response.

Harry started to panic. "I'm going to look for her."

I grabbed onto Harry's leg and he fell backwards. I emerged from the table and burst out laughing. Harry was sprawled out on the floor looking shocked. He got up and glared at me while I smiled at him angelically.

"I hate you," he muttered.

"Love ya too bro," I replied.

Draco came over and sat next to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "What were you two doing?" He asked.

"Racing," I said. "I won."

"She's evil," Harry said. "you're going to have your hands full with this one."

I laughed. "I think I can handle it," Draco said, and a huge owl came to me and held it's leg out. I grabbed the letter and the bird flew off.

_Dear Isabella,_

_ Please come up to the staff table and I will give you details about next week._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Albus Dumbledore _

I sighed. "I'll be right back."

"Why? Where are you going?" Harry asked.

I ignored him and walked up to the staff table.

"Good morning Miss Snape."

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"You will be leaving Monday at seven in the morning. My very dear friend is going to teach you a couple new spells and how to protect yourself. You will be there for two days and return to Hogwarts at seven at night on Wednesday. You will be traveling by Floo Powder. Any questions?"

"No."

"Excellent, you may want to start packing, and I am very sorry that this has to happen to you."

I nodded and walked away.

When I came up to the table I saw Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin, talking to Draco.

My eyes narrowed as I walked over. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing," Draco replied. "I'll be right back."

Draco and Pansy walked off together and I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something was very wrong.

"What happened?" I asked Harry desperately.

"I have no idea," he replied. "Parkinson came over, whispered in his ear, and he got angry about whatever she said."

I ran out of the Great Hall, looking for Draco. When I found him Pansy was trying to get closer to him.

"Get away from him," I shouted at her. "He's mine!"

"Not anymore," Draco said coldly.

My heart broke in two at those words.

"What?"  
"We're over," he answered.

"Draco no! You can't do this to me," I said, tears forming in my eyes.

"Just go, I'm sure that Cullen would be happy to comfort you," Draco said, hurt and anger evident in his voice.

"What? I asked incredulously. What did Edward have to do with this?

"I know you love him. You've been sneaking around with him. You've just been using me. Leave me alone!" Draco said angrily.

"Draco!" Whoever told you that was lying! I hate Edward and I haven't been seeing him. I love you Draco, only you! Please believe me," I begged, tears pouring down my face.

Draco was one of the best things that had ever happened to me and I didn't want to lose him.

"You cheated on me, I don't trust or believe you," Draco said and he walked away with Pansy following him like a pathetic lost puppy.

I sank to the floor and let it all out. Everything had been perfect and then it all came crumbling down because some idiot lied to Draco. I just wanted to get out of here. An idea came to me and I ran to Dumbledore's office. When I threw the door open I saw him sitting at his desk. He looked surprised by my sudden appearance.

"Can I leave any earlier than Monday?" I demanded.

"You can if you want," Dumbledore replied.

"Can I leave today?"

Dumbledore looked curious, but didn't question me about my decision. "If you wish."

I smiled. "Thanks. I'll go pack and then I'll be ready."

He nodded and I walked out the door.

I quickly packed some of my clothes and spell books, and I left a letter telling Hermione where I was and to pass the message on to Harry.

I walked around the castle, looking around before I went back up to Dumbledore's office.

"Are you sure you want to leave early?" Dumbledore asked, once I finally got my bag up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said, trying to hide the pain in my voice.

He nodded and handed me some Floo Powder. I grabbed a handful and stepped into the fireplace.

"No Bella don't!" I heard a voice that sounded a lot like Malfoy. Great, now I was hearing things.

I shook my head and shouted out the name of my destination, throwing Floor Powder down on the dusty ground of the fireplace.

Coughing, I arrived in a small black house where a meeting seemed to be taking place.

"Well if it isn't Isabella Snape, the girl who defeated the Dark Lord," a cold voice said.

I looked over and saw Bellatrix Lestrange, surround by death eaters, who were all pointing their wands directly at me.

**Authors Note:**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, I really appreciate them! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to keep reviewing! I love to hear what you think of the story!**


	10. Chapter 10

**DRACO'S POV**

I couldn't believe that Bella had done that to me. She was the one person who I had trusted and who I showed the real me to, and all I did was get hurt.

Life just wasn't fair. I really loved Bella, and it pained me that she had cheated on me with that Cullen guy. I always knew that I wasn't good enough for her and that she would leave me one day, but I always thought that she would do it in a nicer way.

I walked by a corridor and heard a loud commotion. I walked over and peered through a crack in the doorway. It looked like Edward and Pansy Parkinson were talking about something.

I pressed my ear against the door so I could hear what they were saying because I was curious of why they were together in a private room.

"Did it work?" Edward asked her.

My face crumpled in confusion. What was he talking about?

Pansy cackled her unpleasant laugh. "Yeah. Draco easily bought it."

Edward laughed along with her. "What an idiot. He actually believed that Bella would cheat on him. He didn't even suspect that I set him up."

My eyes widened in horror as I realized what he was talking about. I felt like someone had just punched me in the face. Bella was telling the truth. She never cheated on me and I said all of those horrible things to her.

I ran toward the Gryffindor Common Room, ready to beg Bella for forgiveness that I knew I didn't deserve.

I ran into Harry on the way there. "Where's Bella?" I demanded impatiently.

"She's gone," he said sadly.

I whipped my head around to stare at him, for the first time giving him all of my attention."What?" I asked sharply.

"She left to be trained by Dumbledore's friend. She might still be in his office," Harry explained, eyeing my expression suspiciously.

I didn't wait for him to question me, I just turned around and ran toward Dumbledore's office, still hanging onto a shred of hope.

I burst through the door and saw Bella stepping into the fireplace.

"No Bella don't!" I yelled, but I was too late. She was already gone. I sank to the floor and put my head in my hands.

"I'm guessing that you were the reason why Miss Snape wanted to leave early."

Turning around, I saw Dumbledore smiling at me sympathetically.

"She'll be back Monday and you can talk to her then."

I ignored him and rushed to the door.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I sank to the floor and let the misery have me. What had I done? Bella was one of the best things that had ever happened to me and I had just ruined that.

I heard footsteps coming but I was filled with too much grief to care if anyone saw me like this.

"What happened to you?"

I looked up and saw Harry staring at me worriedly.

"Bella hates me," I whispered, wishing that this was all a dream and I would wake up to find me and Bella happily together, without any worries in the world.

"That's pretty hard to believe," Harry said, sitting down next to me. "Why is she mad?"

"I was told that she was cheating on me with Cullen and I was stupid enough to believe the lies. I said horrible things to her. When I finally realized that she was telling the truth, she had already left," I explained dejectedly, trying miserably to hide the pain that I felt.

Harry clenched his fists, trying to hold his anger in.

"I know you want to kill me," I stated miserably. "Go ahead. I don't deserve to live after all of the things that I said to her."

Harry's expression softened. "She'll forgive you. Just talk to her when she gets back and explain."

"How can you be so sure that she will forgive me?" I whispered.

Harry grinned. "I know my little sister."

"Thanks Harry, for everything."

"No problem," Harry said. "You make Bella really happy and I want that for her. She also brings out a much better side of you. You both need each other."

I nodded and we made our way back to the Great Hall.

**BPOV**

I panicked as all of the death eaters circled around me, closing in.

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

"Well we were planning how to get to you, but you just made our job so much easier."

"What?"

"Dumbledore doesn't know that his friend who was supposed to be training you is currently a devoted servant of the Dark Lord," Bellatrix said.

I blacked out, the last thing I remembered was Bellatrix pointing her wand at me.

**HOURS LATER**

I woke up in a cold dungeon, strapped to a chair. My ankles and wrists hurt because the rope was tied so tightly.

Bellatrix opened the cell door. "Finally you're awake."

She pushed my chair out of the cell and up to a large room where several hooded figures stood.

"The Dark Lord should arrive soon," A cloaked figure said and Bellatrix nodded, never taking her cold, heartless eyes off of me.

"So Isabella the Dark Lord is coming here to finish you off. Are you afraid?"

I ignored her and stared at the wall. A hand collided with my face and I jerked back in pain.

"I said, are you afraid?" Bellatrix hissed menacingly.

"NO!" I shouted in her face.

"Wrong answer," she shouted back, pulling a knife out of her pocket. She opened it up and pressed it against my cheek, running it slowly across my face.

Blood trickled down my face and it took all of my power not to call out in agony.

"Anyone else want to hurt her before the Dark Lord arrives?" Bellatrix asked with a twisted smile on her face.

All of the death eaters stepped forward, their own ideas of torture swimming through their minds.

**DRACO'S POV**

The past two days passed by slowly. The empty seat next to me in potions haunted me and I couldn't get the image of Bella asking me to believe her out of my head. Monday night arrived and I waited in the Astronomy Tower. Today was the day that Bella was scheduled to come and I was nervous about confronting her.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I whirled around only to be met with Harry's worried face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"She hasn't come back yet. She should have arrived an hour ago. Dumbledore keeps trying to call his friend, but nobody answers," Harry explained.

"So nobody knows where she is or if she is alright?"

"No," Harry whispered.

"What did Dumbledore say? Is he going to search for her?"

"He didn't say anything," Harry replied miserably.

"Do you think she's alright?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said and walked away.

I sighed and looked up at the stars, thinking about the promise that Bella made to me. '_Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise. I'll always be there for you, I won't ever leave.'_

Everything was perfect then and all I wanted was for Bella to be back in my arms, safe and happy. She had to be alright, she just had to be.

**BPOV**

Breathing heavily, I sat in the same chair, still tied down by ropes. Every part of me hurt and I yearned for Voldemort to arrive and just end the pain. I never wanted to die, but this was just too much for me to handle.

"Have you had enough?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yes," I choked out in a strained tone.

Bellatrix smiled. "Finally you seem to have learned some manners. The Dark Lord has been held up and won't be arriving for a couple more days so you get the pleasure of staying with us. I'm sure we have time to teach you some more manners."

I groaned and Bellatrix slapped me across my already bruised and beaten face.

"You may sleep, we are done with you for now."

I gratefully fell asleep thinking, _Help me Draco!_

**NEXT DAY**

I woke up the next morning feeling hope. I had to get out of here. I had to live for Snape, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. They needed me and I couldn't leave them.

I formed a plan and waited for them to come and get me. A little while later Bellatrix came walking down with the same knife that they had used on me yesterday.

"Are you ready for another fun day?" She asked.

I ignored her and waited for her to step closer. When she did I kicked her and she dropped the knife. I caught it in my hand and sliced the ropes away.

Grabbing my wand away from her, I ran up the stairs, ignoring the pain.

I heard several shouts behind me as I ran for the door. I glanced back and saw Voldemort was one of those who was chasing after me.

I ran faster, desperately trying to escape.

"I'll kill you Isabella Snape!" Voldemort shouted after me. "I'll kill you no matter how many people I have to kill to get to you."

Trying to ignore him, I pushed myself further.

"If you don't come to me, I'll kill everyone I can get to before I get to you!"

Finally reaching the door, I flung it open and apparated as soon as I stepped outside the door, finally free of that torture.

**DRACO'S POV**

Two days had passed since Harry broke the news to me, and he hadn't heard anything since then. Dumbledore had no idea where she was and Snape looked angry and panicked every time that I saw him.

That night at dinner Dumbledore stood up and made an announcement. "I have some very tragic news," he declared. "Isabella Snape has gone missing, and we have no idea where she has been taken. I fear that death eaters must have taken her, but I desperately hope that that is not the case."

Dumbledore took a deep breath before continuing. "If any of you have any idea where she is please tell me or any of the teachers."

Everyone nodded their heads and looked around sadly.

Just then the doors burst open and there stood Bella, covered in blood and looking as if she had been beaten for days. Her eyes were filled with fear and she walked with a limp. There were several deep gashes all across her body, the deepest on her cheek, which was still bleeding. There were bruises all along her arms and legs and her skin was as pale as chalk.

I wanted to run to her, but I was glued to my seat with fear by the sight of her mangled body.

She winced with every step that she took, but determinedly continued on. She made her way up to the Staff Table and said to Dumbledore, "He's back and he wants to kill me." Saying those words must have been a great difficulty to her. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, she crumpled to the floor.


	11. Chapter 11

**DRACO'S POV**

I snapped out of my shock and ran right for her, with Harry following close behind me. I dropped to my knees right beside her. "Please be okay Bella. Please! Don't leave me, you promised!"

Snape and Dumbledore rushed over, totally forgetting about all of the other students who were starting to panic and scream. "We need to get her to the hospital wing immediately!" Dumbledore shouted in panic.

Snape picked her up and ran toward the hospital wing with Dumbledore, Harry, and I following behind. We ran as fast as we could, trying to keep up, but Snape was faster and when we arrived outside of the hospital wing, Snape was pacing outside of the door anxiously.

"Severus, what happened?" Dumbledore asked, trying to maintain his calm.

"Madame Pomfrey said no visitors," Snape replied bitterly. "But it's not looking so good right now."

I gulped as what he said sunk in. Bella might not make it, and it would be all of my fault if she didn't. If I hadn't have been so stupid she would have still been here, right next to me.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked, clearly shaken.

"We wait," Dumbledore said sadly. I could tell that he was trying to keep everyone sane, but he was having trouble staying focused himself.

I sunk to the floor and put my head in my hands. I couldn't get the picture of Bella covered in blood out of my head. This was all my fault! If I had never believed that stupid lie then Bella never would have left early. I might never even get the chance to make everything better between us. I hadn't noticed that I was sobbing until Harry came over and patted me on the back awkwardly.

"She'll be alright," he said, though his voice was filled with worry and shook with skeptism.

"How can she be alright?" I asked. "How can she recover from all of those horrible injuries? Did you see how bad she looked? How can she possibly live through that?"

"Because she's Bella," Harry said with a strained chuckle. "She's a fighter, and she won't stop fighting. She's brave and fearless and she'll come back to us. I bet half of those injuries are from her being stubborn and refusing to do what they wanted."

"How can you be so confident?" I asked, wishing that I was able to think like that and that I could know without a doubt that Bella would walk away from this okay.

"Because I have known Bella my whole life. She'll be fine. I am worried like crazy and I can't help but wondering what if she dies. But I need to stay positive and look on the bright side."

I sighed heavily. "I wish I could have your attitude."

We waited outside for three hours until Madame Pomfrey came out looking exhausted. We all ran up to her and waiting with bated breath for her to tell us what was happening with Bella.

"Is she alright?" Snape demanded wasting no time on chit chat.

"She is barely alive," Madame Pomfrey whispered brokenly, and tiredly. "It seems as if she was beaten very badly for days. She has several deep gashes as if she were pierced with a knife, and her right leg is broken very badly, and she has also lost a huge amount of blood."

"But she'll be alright?" I asked unable to hold off that question for a second longer.

"Yes, but it will be a long and painful recovery."

"Can we see her?" Dumbledore asked.

Madame Pomfrey nodded, looking warily at Snape who probably would have cursed her if she didn't let us in. "Go ahead, but try to keep the noise down. She needs her rest."

We walked through the doors and saw Bella sleeping on the bed in the far corner, hooked up to many machines. We all rushed over to her side. She still looked so broken, but at least all of the blood had been wiped away from her face and her cuts had been covered up with band aids.

"Oh Bella!"Snape cried. He got down on his knees and put her small hand in both of his. "Please be okay Bella, you have to come back to me. I am so sorry for everything I have done to you," Snape begged.

We all watched Bella, waiting for some response. Snape lightly brushed his fingers across Bella's cheek and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

She looked around the room and her eyes landed on Snape. "It hurts daddy," she said in a strangled tone that made my heart ache.

"I know baby, I know. But it will all go away," Snape promised.

"It hurts a lot," she said, gasping in pain. "Please make it stop!"

"We're trying Bella. Madame Pomfrey said it would be a slow and painful recovery," Snape explained, sounding frustrated that he could not give her more information.

"What happened Bella?" Harry whispered, trying to keep the pain out of his voice as he gazed at Bella's battered body.

Bella turned her head, searching, until her eyes met Harry's. "I was tortured for hours at a time," she said, tears streaming down her face, probably reliving the horrible experience in her mind. "They cut me and beat me and hit me everywhere. It never seemed to stop."

"Who did this to you?" Snape demanded in a furious tone, and I knew that he would definitely kill the people who had done this to his daughter. He would hunt them down and wouldn't stop until he found them and put an end to their evil ways.

"They were..." But Bella couldn't finish her sentence because she passed out. I looked anxiously at Madame Pomfrey, looking for some sort of reassurance.

"She's in an extreme amount of pain," Madame Pomfrey said. "A simple conversation takes a lot of energy out of her. I suggest that you all get some rest and come back tomorrow morning."

We all nodded and silently walked away, without saying a word to each other. Snape kissed Bella's hand before walking out and Dumbledore stayed back to thank Madame Pomfrey for having such bravery and courage to save Bella. Harry and I just silently walked out and went our separate ways.

When I arrived in the Slytherin Common Room everyone was anxiously waiting for me, waiting to hear what the story was and what had happened to Bella.

"Is she alright?" Someone asked.

"No," I said. "She's in a lot of pain and she is barely alive. It seems that she has been tortured for days."

Everyone gasped. "Who would do this?" Some third year boy asked from one of the couches.

"I don't know," I said and I walked up to my dormitory before anyone could ask me anything else about Bella. Looking up at the sky from my window I said, "Please Bella, you have to be okay. You have to come back to me."

**NEXT DAY**

I woke up early the next morning and went straight to the hospital wing. Harry was sitting beside her, holding her hand and quietly mumbling something to her unconscious form. He looked up when he heard me approaching and smiled weakly.

"Hi, Madame Pomfrey said we could stay as long as we want."

I nodded and stood on Bella's other side. "Has she woken up again?" I asked.

"No, not yet," Harry whispered.

We both sat there, watching her sleep, hoping and praying that she would wake up soon and that everything would be fine. That we could just go back to how it was a few days ago when everything was perfect and we had nothing to worry about.

As we watched her, her head started to turn and her whole body started to shake. "No please! Leave me alone, don't hurt me!" Bella screamed out in her sleep and then she let out an ear piercing shriek.

"Bella wake up!" I yelled.

Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped, looking around the room with wide eyes, as if expecting the horrors of her dream to be in here, waiting to torment her.

"It's okay Bella, it was just a bad dream," Harry murmured.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"The hospital wing," I answered.

Bella's eyes flashed up to mine when she heard my voice. She looked sad and curious. "Why are you here?" She whispered.

"I'll leave you two alone," Harry said, sensing that the conversation was going to be uncomfortable enough without him listening in.

"Bella, I am so sorry for all of the pain that I have caused you. It's all my fault that you're in here. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me, but I understand if you never want to see me again."

Bella listened as intently as she could to my confession and then said, "This is not your fault. Never think that."

"But if I hadn't said those awful things to you, you never would have left early," I protested, my voice rising.

"Draco, I was going anyway. They just would have hurt me on different days. And I forgive you, the whole time they were hurting me, I wanted you, I kept begging for _you_ to come. For you to come and rescue me and take me away from that place."

I looked up at Bella and her face held nothing but sincerity. "You're sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I know you didn't mean any of those things you said. It was all Edward's fault," Bella assured me.

I bowed my head in shame. She was amazing and selfless and I didn't deserve her after what I had done, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her. She was such an important part of me and I never wanted to lose her.

"So you completely forgive me?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied forcefully.

I grinned. "Okay, I believe you, and I promise I will make it up to you somehow."

Bella groaned. "You don't have to do that."

I laughed. "I would kiss you if I wasn't afraid that I would hurt you."

Bella pouted. "You won't hurt me, now come here!"  
I chuckled and bent down, trying to remember to be careful. Our lips met and at that moment I knew that everything was okay between us. All of the pain and the uncertainties had just vanished in that moment and I couldn't have been more glad. I had really missed this, missed _her._

"I love you," I whispered when we pulled away.

"I love you too", she said, smiling.

The door burst open and Harry came striding in. "I see you two lovebirds have made up," he announced.

I blushed. "Yeah."

Harry smiled at me before turning to Bella. "How are you?"

Bella looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Right, sorry," Harry mumbled, looking down.

"It's okay big bro," she said, looking much better than last night, but still completely drained.

"What happened?" Harry demanded of her.

Bella's smile disappeared. "Death eaters, about ten of them, all hurting me."

"What about Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"He was on his way when I escaped," she answered.

"Who was leading this?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Bella said, wincing as if the name caused her physical pain. If I ever ran into Bellatrix, she would pay for what she had done to my Bella. I paid close attention as Bella continued. "Bellatrix did most of it, but all of the death eaters contributed. I got the knife that Bellatrix was using on me to cut free of the ropes. I ran to the door and barely made it out so I could apparate."

I grabbed Bella's hand, but she didn't seem to notice. She was probably reliving the dreadful memories from the past three days.

Putting my hand against her cheek I murmured, "Don't worry Bella. You're safe now and everything is going to be okay."

Bella smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I knew that it was going to take a long time before she was back to normal.

The door burst open and Snape walked in and went straight over to Bella's right side, grabbing her hand.

"How are you baby?"

"A little better," she said.

I raised my eyebrows at her, she was clearly lying. She had to be in immense pain but she continued to insist that she was fine and that everything would be okay in no time.

"I'm glad," Snape said, giving a feeble attempt to pretend to believe her words. "And I thought that once you got better I could show you something."

"What?" Bella asked, looking at Harry and I, silently asking what this was all about. We shrugged our shoulders and Bella returned her gaze to her father.

"It's a surprise, but you'll love it, trust me."

"Okay," Bella said, trying to cover up a yawn.

"You need to rest," Snape scolded.

"All right. Goodnight everyone."

"Night Bella," Harry and I chorused.

We all walked out the door together and Harry immediately began questioning Snape as soon as we were far enough away from Bella. "What are you going to show her?" Harry asked Snape.

"Does Bella ever say anything about how I'm not always there for her?" Snape asked, avoiding the question.

Harry and I glanced at each other. "Sometimes," we replied.

Snape nodded. "I'm always working and I know I'm not always the best father. I want to tell Bella why and then I have something to show her that I'm sure she will enjoy."

I could tell that he didn't want to tell us, so I decided not to ask any more questions just in case he decided to play teacher and start handing out detentions. When we reached the end of the corridor Snape muttered a quick goodbye to us and hurried off.

"What do you think he's going to show her?" I asked Harry.

"No idea," he replied.

Harry and I talked for a while and then went our separate ways. I was still thinking about what I could do to make it up to my Bella for all of the pain that I had caused her.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I really appreciate them and I love hearing them. I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. The next chapter should come out in the next couple of days. Thank you so much for all of your support and don't forget to REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**BPOV**

That night all of my dreams were haunted by Bellatrix Lestrange. I hated her for what she had done to me, and I swore that I would get my revenge on her. Even though I wanted to kill her for what she did to me, I knew that I would never get a chance to do that unless I wanted to willingly walk right into Voldemort's lair. But Draco was right and everything was going to be fine. I had to get over what had happened and move on. I couldn't dwell on that horrible time because I knew that if I did it would start to control my life.

Bored, I spent the next week stuck in the hospital wing. Everyone visited me often, but I was alone while they were in their classes. During the day I was forced to read boring spell books and try to keep up on my homework. But reading about the side effects of certain potions didn't exactly hold my interest. My injuries were slowly getting better, physically and mentally. The bone in my leg was severely broken, but was mending nicely. My cuts were slowly fading, but I still had a lot of bruises, which Madame Pomfrey said she couldn't do anything about. As the week progressed my nightmares had ceased which I was thankful for.

Another week later, I was finally released from the hospital wing and was allowed to resume lessons. I woke up the next morning and Hermione helped me get dressed. We met Harry and Ron in the Common Room, and walked to the Great Hall together.

"It's great to finally have you back," Harry said, hugging me. He had still come to visit me in the hospital wing every day, but it still wasn't the same thing.

"It's good to be back," I said, but I was not looking forward to walking around all day with these crutches that Madame Pomfrey had forced upon me.

"Harry," I said in a sweet voice, a plan forming in my mind.

He turned to me warily. "What?"

"My hands hurt so much from walking around with these crutches, could you please carry me?" I asked in a sweet and innocent tone that always worked on him.

Sighing heavily, Harry opened up his arms for me. I jumped into them while Ron carried my crutches.

"Thanks bro," I said.

Harry grunted and said something unintelligible.

Draco caught up to us a few minutes later and looked at us curiously when he saw Harry carrying me around the castle.

"I'm tired, so Harry generously agreed to carry me," I explained, noticing Draco's puzzled expression.

He nodded, laughing. I had really missed that laugh. When he had visited me in the hospital he was always sad and brooding so it was a relief to finally hear some amusement in his voice.

When we arrived in the Great Hall, Harry set me down and I walked to our table while a lot of people watched me curiously. I knew that Dumbledore had told the entire school that Death Eaters had taken me, but he hadn't gone into much detail and I was positive that I would be bombarded with questions today.

"I'll see you after breakfast," Draco murmured, kissing me on the cheek.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up and everyone turned their heads to look at him.

"Good morning everyone. I have several things to say this morning, but first I would like to welcome Miss Snape back. She has had a hard and painful recovery and I am thrilled to announce that she is much better."

Everyone clapped and I smiled at Dumbledore, who returned it with a sad smile of his own. He blamed himself for what happened to me. I was finally able to talk him out of it, but he was still extremely guilty.

"It is my please to announce that we are having a dance next week," Dumbledore continued. Excited chatter broke out everywhere and Dumbledore waited patiently.

"As I was saying, we will be having a dance next week. Dinner will be served at 6:30 and the dancing will begin at 7:45. At nine o'clock there will be an open mike where anyone is welcome to sing."

Dumbledore smiled down at everyone pleasantly. "Enjoy you day of learning. Gentlemen, you may want to get busy and ask your girls to the dance before somebody else does."

All of the girls put their heads together and discussed what they were going to wear and who they were hoping would ask them, while the boys glanced at the girls nervously.

"Who are you asking?" I asked Harry, grabbing a piece of toast.

"I don't know, "Harry murmured, embarrassed.

I watched him and noticed that he was sending nervous glances Ginny's way. I raised my eyebrows at him and he glared back at me.

"Ask her," I mouthed to him, so Ron and Hermione wouldn't hear.

He glanced at Ron and shook his head. Ginny was Ron's sister and I was pretty sure that it was because of him that Ginny and Harry were not already dating. Harry was too much of a coward to risk his friendship with Ron so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

"Ron?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Who do you think Ginny should go with?" I knew I sounded suspicious, but I really didn't care.

Harry glared daggers at me, but I avoided eye contact with him.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Who do you think the best choice for Ginny is?" I clarified.

"Why?"

I took a deep breath. "Harry likes Ginny, but he's too afraid of what you are going to say to ask her out."

Harry looked ready to murder me and Ron gaped at him incredulously.

"Is that true?" Ron asked.

Harry turned red and nodded, but I couldn't help but notice the relief on his face. He must be relieved that this topic was finally coming up.

"Harry," Ron said. "If you like my sister, don't let me stop you. You're probably the best choice for her anyway."

Harry's eyes shot up to Ron's, shocked. A huge grin broke out across his face. "Really?"

"Yes," Ron replied. "But if you ever hurt her, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Harry gulped and nodded, looking like Christmas had come early.

I laughed out loud. "You so owe me."

"No I don't, I would have eventually worked up the courage to ask her," Harry said.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure you would have."

Harry helped me up and we walked out of the Great Hall. "Are you going to carry me again?" I asked innocently.

"No, you're too heavy."

"Are you calling me fat?" I asked, feigning hurt.

"No," Harry replied. "I just don't want to carry you."

"I'll do it."

I turned around and saw Draco smiling at me.

"You don't have to carry me Draco."

"I want to," he replied with a sweet smile on his face.

I smiled and leaped into his arms. "Take those crutches for me Harry," I instructed. Harry sighed, picked them up, and left, giving us a little privacy.

"If I'm too heavy, just tell me and I'll walk," I told Draco.

"You're as light as a feather," he whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver.

He laughed and we talked all the way to the dungeons. Draco sat me down outside of the door and Harry handed me my crutches.

"Thank you," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Whatever," Harry mumbled, walking into the class.

"Don't I get a thank you kiss?" Draco asked when I turned to go into the classroom.

I smiled. "Of course you do."

Draco twisted his face to the side, expecting a kiss on the cheek, but I surprised him by placing my arms around his neck and crushing my lips to his. He responded enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around my waist. We didn't stop until we heard a loud cough behind us. We broke apart and saw Harry, trying to stifle his laughter.

"I came to see what was taking you two so long, but now I know why," Harry choked out in between his laughter.

I glared at him. "These crutches aren't just for walking, they also make very good weapons," I informed him, but that only caused him to laugh harder.

"Get in the classroom Bells," he said once he had calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence.

I walked in, followed by a very embarrassed Draco. We took our seats and class started. Harry kept throwing smug glances at me throughout the class, and I returned each one with a glare. When the hour ended, Draco quickly kissed me goodbye and went off to his lesson.

"You two seemed to be having fun this morning," Harry said.

"Shut up," I muttered.

He laughed. "Come on Bella. Take a joke."

"What were you doing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Nothing," I said, not wanting more people to tease me.

Throughout the day kids came up to me telling me they were glad that I was back, even a couple Slytherins told me that. By the end of the day I hurried to Madame Pomfrey to get the cast off of my leg. My arms were so tired from these crutches that I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

"Hello dear," she greeted when I entered. "How are you? Did the medicine work for the pain?"

"I'm fine. I could still feel the pain, but the medicine definitely helped."

It took Madame Pomfrey two minutes to get the cast off and then I was free to go. I walked over to the Astronomy Tower and saw Draco looking around at the beautiful grounds of the school. I went next to him and he automatically put his arm around me. His face looked tense and it looked like he was thinking very hard about something.

"Draco, what's wrong?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something," he said.

"What is it?"

"Is my father one of the death eaters who tortured you?"

I looked up at him, surprised. I had not been expecting that. He never mentioned his father much and I was shocked to hear him bring this up.

"I don't know, I said after awhile. "They were all wearing masks except for Bellatrix."

He nodded and didn't say anything more.

"Wait," I said, suddenly remembering something from those days. "There was one with blonde hair, the exact same color as yours. Do you think that's him?"

"That's him alright," Draco whispered, and I mentally kicked myself for saying that out loud, but I supposed it was better for him to know the truth than to lie to him.

He turned to face me. "I'm so sorry Bella. I'm sorry for what he did to you and I'm sorry that I couldn't stop it."

"Draco don't blame yourself. Your father makes his own choices, and if he wants to make bad choices, then that's his decision. Don't feel bad about any of that, there was no way you could have stopped it," I stated fiercely.

He nodded. "You're right."

I kissed him on the cheek. "Of course I am."

He chuckled and we sat there in peaceful silence, until my scar on my right arm started burning worse than ever before. I let out a shriek of pain and dropped to the floor, clutching my arm.

**(A/N: I got the idea of having the scar hurt and getting a vision from the Harry Potter series. It is NOT mine!)**

_"How could you let her get away you worthless fools?" A high, cold voice asked._

_"I don't know my lord," another voice begged._

_"Crucio!" The cold voice shouted without mercy._

I opened my eyes gasping. Draco was kneeling next to me, looking terrified. "What happened?" I forget to mention to him that this weird thing sometimes happened to me. No wonder he looked so freaked out.

I glanced around, frantically looking for Voldemort. There was nobody around except for me and Draco. His voice had sounded so close that I thought he was right here with us, but of course there was no way he could have gotten in the castle without Dumbledore knowing.

"Bella what's wrong?" Draco asked frantically, shaking me slightly.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him after me. "I have to see Dumbledore!" I called.

I ran up the spiral staircase and threw the door open. Dumbledore looked at me in shock. "What can I do for you?" He asked, bewildered.

"It happened again," I explained. "My scar hurt and I was in a dark room and I heard Voldemort talking. It sounded so real, like I was there."

Dumbledore, who had been listening intently asked, "What happened in the vision?"

"He was using the Cruciatus Curse on the ones who had tortured me because they let me escape."

Dumbledore nodded, and gravely said, "He will come after you soon Bella, and you need to be ready. I am not sending you anywhere else, for obvious reasons., but you will need to have a little extra training in your wizard studies."

"Who is going to teach me?" I asked.

"I will think about it and get back to you, alright?"

I nodded. "Goodnight Professor," I said, dragging Draco with me.

"You saw into his mind?" He asked, once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, it's happened before," I said, rolling me sleeve up and showing him my scar. "This scar was given to me when Voldemort murdered my mom and when I miraculously survived. I have this sort of connection with him and it enables me to see into his mind and speak Parseltongue."

Draco drew in a shaky breath. "I just can't believe you have to fight him. I mean I knew you had to, but it sounded so real hearing you two talk about it."

I gently kissed him on the lips. "Remember the promise that I made you?"

He sighed. "That was all I was thinking about when you were passed out in the hospital wing after you had gotten back."

I smiled. "And I was right, and I will come back to you again, but hopefully not all bloody like last time."

"I hope so too," he said shuddering, as he remembered the night that I had escaped from the Death Eaters.

"Come on, we better get back, it's getting late," I said.

"Wait, I have to ask you something."

"Yes?" I asked.

"Will you go to the dance with me?"

It took awhile for me to remember the dance, I had totally forgotten what with all of the excitement of my scar hurting.

I smiled. "It would be my honor," I said.

"Bella!"

I turned around and saw Harry running at me. "I asked Ginny to the dance and she said yes!"

"I told you that would happen," I told him. "You owe me."

He grabbed me and hugged me close to him. "I'm so excited Bells! She's so amazing and I am so lucky."

I laughed. "I can tell, and I already know that Ginny is amazing. She's good for you. But if you hurt her I will help Ron beat you up."

Harry finally seemed to notice that Draco was here and he blushed. "I'm sorry to ruin your time together. I'll just be going," Harry said and hurried off.

"He seems happy," Draco stated.

"Of course he is, he's finally going out with Ginny. That is something he has been waiting to do forever."

Before Draco could say another word Hermione came running in. "Bella!"

"Yes?"

"I have been looking for you everywhere. We need to get dresses for the dance."

"Who are you going with?" I asked.

"Ron," she whispered excitedly.

"Congratulations," I squealed, hugging her.

"Come on," she said, dragging me away.

"I'll see you later Draco!" I yelled as Hermione took me away.

"How are we getting dresses?" I asked as we walked away.

"I have a catalog," she explained. "We just order the one we want and it will be here by next week."

When we arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room a huge group of girls had gathered around to look at dresses.

After two hours, every single girl had chosen one and were now talking about their choices enthusiastically. The dance was going to be so much fun and I couldn't wait to spend the whole night with Draco.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you so much for all of your support, I really appreciate all of the reviews and all of the people who have added me to their favorite author list and favorite story list. Thank you so much for all of that! Your reviews are what keep this story going, and I enjoy reading each and every one of them.**

**I will try to post the next chapter in the next few days, so keep checking for it and don't forget to review! **


	13. Chapter 13

**BPOV**

The rest of the week flew by so fast what with all of the talk about the dance, dresses, and accessories. Everyone that I saw was buzzing with the latest news of who was taking who to the dance along with all of their own worries about whether or not their date would like their dress or if their shoes matched the color of their dress. After a while it got so annoying that I began taking different routes to my classes so that I could avoid a couple of people who would always ask me the most annoying questions.

Once all of the boys had summed up the courage to ask a girl to the dance, they started to enjoy the idea of Hogwarts hosting a dance and even began talking to some of the girls about their plans.

Our dresses arrived by owl the day before the dance. Hermione and I tried them on that night and danced around with each other, laughing and joking.

The afternoon of the dance finally arrived and Hermione and I helped each other get ready by doing each other's hair and makeup. Hermione straightened her usually curly hair and put it in a low, elegant bun. My hair was softly curled and went down to the middle of my back. Hermione wore a beautiful floor length lavender dress that I knew would have Ron drooling. My dress was a beautiful deep blue color and was also floor length. The whole time we were getting ready we teased each other, imagining the boys faces when they saw us.

Once we finished, we took pictures of ourselves in our dormitories before heading down to the Common Room. Draco was going to meet me outside of our Common Room since he was in a different house.

Hermione and I gracefully descended the stairs and had the pleasure of watching Ron's eyes pop out of his head when he spotted Hermione.

I quietly laughed and went to stand next to Harry. "You look amazing," I complimented, making him blush. "Where's Ginny?"

"She should be right down and you look stunning too Bells."

I grinned at him. I loved my big brother so much. He may be really annoying and get on my nerves sometimes, but at the end of the day he was the best brother in the world and I wouldn't trade him for anything.

A minute later I watched as Ginny emerged looking beautiful in a light green dress with her hair curled.

"You look remarkable Ginny," Harry said, once he composed himself. He had had the same reaction as Ron had to Hermione. When she had first walked down Harry's mouth had been wide open.

"Thank you," she said, turning red.

"Come on guys lets go," I said, excited to see Draco and start dancing.

I walked out of the door and saw Draco's jaw drop just like Harry's had done when he saw Ginny.

Everyone laughed at him, but he ignored them, always keeping his eyes on me.

"You look fantastic," he told me, kissing me on the cheek when I approached him.

"Thank you," I said. "You look great too."

I took his arm and we made our way to the Great Hall, which had been transformed to hold a manifold of large circular tables that bad been covered in a long white tablecloth with red roses placed in the center. There was a band in the far corner playing soothing, boring music as we walked in.

"Are you going to sing during the karaoke portion of the night?" Harry asked me once we had all sat down at our table.

"I don't think so," I said, hoping that Harry would drop it. Draco didn't know that I sang and I wanted to keep it that way.

"You should Bella, your voice is amazing. Everyone loved you in Diagon Alley."

I shook my head.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "If you don't volunteer, I'm going to have to force you onto that stage."

I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore him. He wouldn't dare do anything like that to me. He knew what I would do to him if he did.

"I didn't know that you could sing," Draco said, curiously.

"Yes she does, and her voice is incredible," Harry added before I could say anything.

Before I could respond to his comment Dumbledore stood up and welcomed everyone to the dance, and then we all dug into the delicious food that had appeared on the tables. Dinner was so much fun. We all laughed and had a great time with one another. Ron and Ginny shared a few hilarious stories that had the rest of us gasping for air. All of them centered around Fred and George and their crazy pranks.

Once all the food had disappeared Dumbledore stood up once again. "It is time for the dance to begin," he announced. "How about the teachers have the first dance?" Dumbledore asked smiling pleasantly, while the teachers groaned. "You may pick a fellow teacher or a student."

I laughed as I saw all of the teachers desperately scouring the Great Hall for a dance partner. Who knew teachers could get so embarrassed. Snape came up to me. "Would you like to dance with me my darling daughter?"

"I would love to daddy," I said, a huge grin plastered across my face. "I'll be right back," I said to Draco as Snape led me to the dance floor.

"You look beautiful Isabella," Snape complimented me.

"Thank you."

We reached the dance floor and started twirling elegantly around once the music had begun. "I'm really glad you're okay," Snape murmured. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Thanks, but you're worries are far from gone," I said.

Snape sighed morosely. "I'm trying not to dwell on that."

"Me too, but it just keeps popping back into my mind when I least expect it," I admitted.

"Don't worry everything will work out," Snape said as soothingly as he could. He tried his best to calm my fears, but he couldn't do much to help because his worries were the same as mine. I knew that he wanted to tell me that everything would be okay, but he couldn't, because he didn't know how things would turn out.

We danced in peaceful silence together until the song ended and then he led me over to Draco. "Have a nice time tonight."

I smiled. "You too daddy."

He walked away and I turned to face Draco. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, smiling.

"I would love to," I said, taking his outstretched hand.

He led me to the dance floor and we danced to the fast beats that had started up once the teachers had cleared the floor. We danced until we were ready to collapse from exhaustion. Draco got us drinks and we sat down at an empty table and talked for the longest time. We talked about our likes and dislikes and what we were planning on doing over the Christmas holiday that was coming up soon. A slow song came on and Draco once again led me to the dance floor. He put his hands on my waist while mind rested on his shoulders.

"I've had a great time tonight," I murmured.

"Me too, I'm so glad that I met you Bella. I honestly don't know what I would do without you. I love you so much."

"I love you too Draco."

He smiled and pressed his lips softly to mine, giving me a sweet kiss.

"It's time for karaoke!" Dumbledore shouted into the microphone, ruining our moment. "Who's first?"

Everyone looked around expectantly, but nobody made any move to join Dumbledore up on the stage and sing in front of the entire school.

"I nominate Isabella Snape!"

My head whipped around and I saw Harry smiling like an idiot and giving me a smug grin. He was so dead. I know he was joking about making me sing, but I didn't think he would actually follow through with his devious plans.

"Alright Miss Snape, please come up here," Dumbledore said, trying to hide his amusement without much success.

"I'm going to kill Harry," I muttered and Draco laughed.

"Go on, I'm sure you'll do great, and I'm really anxious to hear you sing."

I rolled my eyes and made my way up to the stage, trying to ignore all of the eyes staring straight at me. I never really had stage fright before, but I had never sang for an audience this huge before. The music started and I began singing.

BECAUSE OF YOU LYRICS

BY: KELLY CLARKSON

Applause broke out everywhere once I stopped singing.

"Thank you," I said into the microphone. I smiled as an idea came to me. Harry was going to regret volunteering me. "I nominate Harry Potter to sing the next song."

I looked over at Harry's horrified face and laughed out loud. It looked like Ginny was trying to comfort him, but it didn't seem that he could hear her.

He ran up to the stage and whispered in my ear. "Please Bella, you know I can't sing."

"Actually, I don't know that. I haven't heard you sing since you were five, and you should have thought about that before you called me up here to sing in front of everyone."

"Yeah, but you're a good singer. Can you at least sing with me?" He asked, desperately. I honestly didn't know what the big deal was. He couldn't be that bad, could he?

I thought it through quickly and then said, "I will, only if you agree to be my servant for a whole week."

"Fine," he snapped angrily.

I laughed and turned to face the crowd again. "I have graciously agreed to sing with Harry because he cannot carry a tune to save his life." Harry threw me a dark look my way and I chuckled along with everyone else.

EVERYDAY LYRICS

FROM HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2

Everyone went wild once we finished. Harry and I bowed and made our way off of the stage and to our dates.

"You were amazing big bro," I congratulated. It was true, Harry was really done a spectacular job singing tonight. I didn't see why he had worried so much when I called him up onto the stage.

"You were too," he said. "You're really good at singing Bella and I can tell that you love doing it. So keep up the good work.''

I grinned at him. "I'll see you later slave," I said, making my way over to Draco and laughing at the expression on Harry's face as he remembered the deal that we had made up on stage.

"You were spectacular!" Draco praised, wrapping his arms around me when I reached him.

"Thank you," I replied.

Draco and I listened to all of the other singers until someone called me back up again. There were a few people who had good voices, but Draco assured me that they sounded horrible compared to my voice, which caused me to blush.

Once the audience started to leave Draco and I decided to walk around before going back to our common room's.

"You did a great job tonight. I never knew you could sing, why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked me.

I shrugged and took his hand in mine. We went up to the Astronomy Tower and gazed up at the beautiful starry night. I shivered and Draco offered me his jacket which I immediately accepted. It was so warm and smelled exactly like him. I was so lucky to have him, he always treated me respectfully and was always kind and considerate.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," I said, turning to look at him.

"I did too," he said. "And I wanted to give you something."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Close your eyes," Draco commanded, reaching into his pocket.

I silently obeyed and he put a necklace around my neck. I opened my eyes and saw a little golden heart.

Smiling, I looked up at Draco.

"Open it," he murmured.

I carefully unlocked it and read what was engraved on the inside.

_My heart will always belong to you._

_ Love Always,_

_ Draco_

Tears welled up in my eyes and I threw myself at him. "I love it. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he said.

"I just wish I could have gotten you something," I said sadly. As much as I loved the gift, I just wished that I had something to give him in return.

"I don't need anything, so don't worry about it."

I pulled back a little and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you so much for the gift. I love it, and I love you."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, happily returning the kiss.

"Should we get back?" I asked unwillingly as I looked up at the sky again and saw how dark it was getting.

"I suppose so."

We walked hand in hand toward the Gryffindor Common Room, walking as slowly as we possibly could. Neither one of us wanted to say goodbye. We wanted to stay here, frozen in this beautiful moment.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

"Okay," he said, leaning in for one last kiss of the night.

I smiled when we broke apart. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he whispered and silently walked away.

I sighed happily and stepped into the Common Room. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sitting down together, talking about their evening.

"Hello everyone," I greeted.

"Hi," Harry said. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yes," I said. "You?"

He glanced at Ginny and grinned. "It was excellent."

Hermione and Ron were holding hands and a broad grin was on each of their faces.

"I take it that you two had fun?"

They smiled wider and nodded.

I talked to them for a few more minutes until I realized that I was still wearing my dress. "I'm going to go change," I said, walking up the stairs and up to the dormitories.

When I reached my dormitory, I leaped up in shock. A masked figure was standing by my bed, pointing his wand at me. "Come with me or else your friends downstairs won't live to see another day."

I thought about it real fast. I didn't want to go, but I couldn't just let my friends die because of me. I had escaped them once, maybe I could do it a second time.

"Can I please change first?" I asked.

The death eater glanced at my long blue dress and said, "Three minutes."

I grabbed some clothes and ran to the bathroom to change. I changed quickly and scrawled out a quick note to Hermione.

_Hermione,_

_ A death eater is taking me to Voldemort, but I will be okay. Please tell Dumbledore, Snape, Draco, and Harry what happened and tell them I'll be alright and will try my best to get out._

_ Love, Bella_

I ran out of the bathroom and went back to my room.

"Grab my arm," the death eater ordered.

I obeyed and we apparated to a dark house.

"Follow me," he commanded.

I followed him up the stone pathway and into the house where I came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange once again.

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, I am sorry that it took me so long to update. I will try to get the next chapter up soon, and please don't forget to REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**BPOV**

I flinched as all of those horrible memories from only a few weeks ago came flooding back into my mind as I saw Bellatrix standing there.

"Well hello Bella," Bellatrix cackled in her unpleasant voice. "It's so nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same Bellatrix," I said, trying to fight the urge to jump free of the death eater's grasp and go attack her and make her pay for what she did to me. I had gotten over the pain and fear a long time ago, and I had replaced it with anger. I hated Bellatrix for what she had done to me and I wanted nothing more than to make her pay.

"Unfortunately the Dark Lord has forbidden me to have fun with you like I did the last time"

My expression didn't change, but on the inside I was jumping for joy. The thing that I had been most afraid of was their torture methods, if I was just going to face Voldemort at least dying would be painless.

"Where is he?" I asked, looking around for Voldemort but not seeing him anywhere.

"He'll be here in two days. Lucius, if you will please escort Miss Snape to her dungeon."

I looked around and my eyes widened when I saw Draco's father. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me down to the dungeons. He roughly threw me into the cell and locked the door.

I sighed and sat down on the floor. It seemed like just yesterday that I was in this same situation, and I really didn't want to go back to those memories. It seemed like a dream that just a few hours earlier I had been dancing and singing at Hogwarts, having fun with all of my friends.

I tried to think of a way to escape this, but came up blank. I eventually gave up on an escape plan when I failed to come up with a plan and fell asleep right there on the floor.

**DPOV**

Last night had been spectacular. I had had so much fun spending the night with the woman that I love. She looked ravishing in her beautiful blue dress and her voice was just spectacular.

I woke up early the next morning and made my way to the Great Hall, anxious to see her. I met Harry on my way and he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a corner.

"I have bad news," he announced.

My heart immediately started pounding and I jumped to conclusions quickly. Where was my Bella? Why wasn't she here? I realized that Bella wasn't with him and I tried my best to fight off my fear that something bad had happened to her.

Harry handed me a letter and I instantly recognized the handwriting as Bella's. I opened it up and quickly skimmed through it and my eyes widened with dread. A death eater had taken her, no doubt back to that horrible place where they had hurt her.

"What are we going to do?" I choked out once I finished reading the letter and I had calmed down a little bit.

"I already told Dumbledore and he's going to break the news to Snape."

"But what are we going to do to save her?" I demanded. "She barely survived last time, they could kill her this time!"

"I know," Harry said. "But we have to trust that Bella will get herself out of this like she did last time. You'd be surprised what she can do when she focuses on something. And I don't agree with just sitting here doing nothing either, but it's Dumbledore's orders."

I glanced back down at the letter, defeated.

"So we just wait for them to hurt her?" I asked, my anger rising. "Nobody's going to try to do anything to save her? What about Snape? I'm sure he doesn't want to stay in this castle while his daughter is in danger!"

"I don't know, but right now we just have to wait here," Harry said, and I could tell that he was trying to hide his own anger at Dumbledore.

"Fine, I'll see you later," I mumbled, stalking off.

I hated that these people were hurting my Bella and I was furious at the people who weren't doing anything to help her. I decided that I would wait three days before I would act on my own and try to save Bella. I just hoped that she would be okay.

**BPOV**

I woke up and saw that Lucius Malfoy was still on guard outside of my cell. He was sitting in a wooden chair, watching my every move.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"About fifteen hours."

Wow, I had never slept that long before. I guess that all of the mental stress caused me to sleep longer.

"So you're Draco's dad?" I asked him politely. I was just really bored and wanted someone to talk to.

"Yes, why?" He asked.

"I'm his girlfriend," I stated, anticipating his reaction. I was sure that he was going to start yelling at me, saying to stay away from his son, but he ended up surprising me.

"Really?" He asked, sounding interested. "I didn't know that Draco had a girlfriend."

"Yeah," I said. "I know you must be disappointed because he's dating your enemy."

"You're not my enemy," Lucius said, surprising me once again.

"But you're a death eater!" I said. "Don't all death eaters hate me and can't wait for Voldemort to kill me?"

"Just because I'm a death eater doesn't mean that I want to be one."

I gazed up at him Would this man ever stop amazing me tonight? Draco had made it sound that he loved being a death eater and that he didn't care about anything else.

"And you're a nice girl," Lucius continued. "Draco is lucky to have you."

I smiled. "I'm going to miss him." I wondered how Draco would take it and if he would eventually move on.

"What are you talking about?" Lucius asked, turning his head in my direction.

I stared at him, confused. "Well they're going to kill me, and I'm never going to see him again," I said sadly.

Lucius thought for a while and then glanced around. "What if I helped you escape?" He whispered.

"But they'll hurt you for helping me, I can't let that happen!" I cried out, forgetting that I needed to be quiet.

"Yes you can," he said forcefully. "I'll be fine, but you need to get out."

"What do you suggest we do?" I asked him. I didn't see any way how I could escape without walking up the stairs and right into a room filled with death eaters.

Lucius looked around the room once again and then smiled. "It's really quite simple. You're thinking too hard, but all I have to do is open your cell and you can climb out this window right here and apparate back to Hogwarts."

I looked at the window, embarrassed that I hadn't been able to think of that. "That is simple," I said.

He unlocked my cell quietly and I cautiously stepped out.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, I really appreciate this," I told him sincerely.

"You're welcome Bella. Good luck."

I smiled at him and then I climbed out of the window, and apparated back to Hogwarts.

It looked about eight in the morning when I arrived at the school. I hurried up the grounds and went straight to Dumbledore's office.

"Bella!" He exclaimed when he saw me, jumping up from behind his desk and rushing over to me. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I got away and they didn't torture me this time."

I sat down and told Dumbledore about the death eater in my dormitory and how he had threatened me if I didn't come with him and then I told him how Lucius Malfoy had helped me escape.

"Bella, can you please get your dad so we can tell him what happened?" Dumbledore asked me once I finished telling my story.

I nodded and silently walked down to the dungeons.

When I opened the door everyone turned to stare at me. I blushed and quickly made my way up to the front of the classroom where Snape was standing. I smiled brightly at Draco who looked extremely relieved that I was here.

"Are you alright?" Snape demanded once I reached him.

"Dumbledore wants to explain it all to you in his office right now, and I am absolutely fine."

Snape sighed, glancing around at the students. "Could you watch the class while I talk to him?"

"Of course," I said smiling.

Snape cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. "I have something to take care of so Isabella is in charge until I get back."

Everyone nodded and Snape darted out of the classroom.

"Hello everyone," I said nervously as everyone turned to stare at me.

A few mumbled hello to me, but mostly they just continued to stare at me curiously.

"Okay, just do your work that Professor Snape assigned," I said.

With a sigh the class pulled out their books and started reading.

"Are you alright?" Harry mouthed to me.

I nodded my head at him.

Draco looked at me with his eyes still full of concern. I went over to Snape's desk, grabbed a piece of paper and a quill, and wrote a quick note to Draco.

_ Draco,_

_ I am fine, nothing happened. I'll tell you  
all about it later tonight. Don't worry. _

_ Love,_

_ Bella_

I walked over to his table and placed it on his desk and then made my way back over to the front of the classroom.

Draco read the note and then nodded at me.

Edward raised his hand from the back of the classroom and I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he could possible want from me.

"What Cullen?" I asked acidly. I was not in the mood to deal with him today. I was tired and I just wanted to go up to my dormitory and sleep.

"I was just wondering where you were." He said.

"That is none of your business," I said. I didn't think that anyone had noticed that I had even been gone. I wasn't gone long enough for them to notice.

"Yes it is, I'm your boyfriend," Edward said arrogantly.

My hands clenched into fists, and if his face wasn't as hard as a rock I would have punched him right in the face. "No you are not!" I yelled at him.

"Yes, I am. Don't lie to yourself, you can't live without me." On second thought, a broken hand didn't seem so bad, as long as I saw able to wipe that smile away.

I started to shake in anger while the class watched our fight with great interest, except for Draco and Harry who had the same expression as I did.

"I can and will live happily without you in my life!" I said to Edward. Was this boy delusional, and weren't vampires supposed to be smart? How could he not notice that I hated him?

"Do I need to kiss you to convince you who you really want?" Edward asked me, smirking.

I started seeing red. How dare he say that. "No, and if you do I swear I'll kill you."

Just then Snape came in and looked around at the scene. He saw me glaring murderously at Edward and his eyes narrowed.

"What's going on here?" Snape asked.

"I think Edward needs detention," I said, trying to control my anger.

"For what?" Snape asked me.

I thought for a moment and then said, "Harassment."

Some of the students laughed.

"Very well. Cullen, my office at eight tonight," Snape said, while glaring at Edward.

Snape walked up to me and whispered in my ear. "Dumbledore told me to tell you that you have the rest of the day off and that he is really proud of you."

I grinned. "Thanks."

"I'm really glad you're okay," he said once again.

"I am too, but this isn't over," I said sadly. "They won't stop until they get me."

"Well, we'll deal with that later. Have a great day."

I nodded and walked out the door. I went straight up to my dormitory to shower and change. Once I finished with that, I climbed into my bed and enjoyed a peaceful sleep.

**Hours Later**

I woke up at seven thirty and headed down to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Hello everyone," I said when I sat down at the table next to Harry.

"What happened?" Harry demanded.

I sighed. "A death eater came and took me. They locked me in a dungeon guarded by Lucius Malfoy, but he let me go and that's how I escaped."

They all gaped at me and Ron choked on his juice. "Lucius Malfoy helped you escape?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yeah," I said. "He's actually quite nice."

"You bring out weird reactions in the Malfoy's," Ron said, trying to hold back his laughter.

I laughed. "Thanks Ronald."

He grinned. "Anytime Bells."

I dug in, attacking any food that I could get my hands on. I hadn't eaten in days and I was now ravenous.

Harry looked at me with a slightly disgusted expression and said, "You look exactly like Ron when you eat like that."

I laughed and Ron joined in. I guess we did look pretty similar.

When I finished eating I saw Draco getting up from his table so I got up from my own table and ran over to him. He opened his arms up for me and I ran right into them.

"I missed you," I said.

"I missed you too and I'm really glad that you're alright."

"Are you ready to know what happened?" I asked.

He nodded reluctantly, putting his arm around my waist, and led me away.

"Okay, so what's the story?" He asked warily once we exited the Great Hall and got away from all of the eavesdropping students.

I took a deep breath and then told him every single detail about how his dad had saved me. He looked bewildered when I told him about his dad, but then he calmed down and a broad grin flashed across his face.

"He doesn't like being a death eater?" He asked.

"Nope," I said in confirmation. "I just hope he'll be okay."

"He should be fine," Draco said, but I could hear the concern for his father in his voice.

"Voldemort will be angry, so I should get a vision of what he does to him."

Draco nodded, lost in thought.

We walked around for a few more minutes and then we decided to head back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Goodnight," I said.

"Goodnight Bella, I'm really glad that you're okay," Draco murmured.

I smiled and walked into the Common Room. It was completely empty when I arrived, so I just went up to my dormitory and went to sleep.

**I hoped that you liked this chapter, and please don't forget to REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**BPOV**

I woke up early the next morning and saw an owl fluttering on my bedside table. I went over to it and took the letter that was tied around it's leg. I opened it up and saw Snape's clear, elegant script.

_Dear Isabella,_

_ Do you remember when you were in the hospital  
wing and I promised to show you something. Well I  
would like to show you today. Meet me at the Staff Table  
once you finish eating._

_ Love,_

_ Snape_

Smiling, I got ready for the day and woke Hermione up so that she could do the same thing. I explained to her where I would be going, and we discussed where he might be taking me. A million possibilities were flying through my head, but I didn't know what he was doing for sure.

An hour later we walked down to the Common Room where Harry and Ron were waiting for us. Once we emerged Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I smiled at them, they must have really hit it off at the dance.

"Aww!" Harry and I chorused, while Ron and Hermione blushed.

"C'mon Harry, let's go and leave these two lovebirds alone."

Harry laughed and followed after me while Ron called from behind us, "Yeah go see Draco and get all lovey dovey with him!"

I rolled my eyes and decided it was better if I didn't respond.

"I won't be here today, Snape's taking me out to show me something," I informed Harry.

"Where?" Harry asked and I could tell that he had been wondering about this since Snape had mentioned it a few weeks ago.

"I have no idea, but I don't know how long I'll be gone," I said. I wondered what was so important that Snape had to tell me, but I wasn't going to complain. I never got many chances to spend time with Snape, so when I did I tried my best to enjoy every minute of it.

When we entered the Great Hall Snape was gesturing for me to come up to him.

"Hi," I said smiling once I reached the Staff Table.

"I have some bad news," Snape said, and my smile fell off of my face instantly. "I can't take you away today. Dumbledore won't give me the day off and he doesn't want you leaving the safety of the castle."

"It's alright," I said, sighing and trying my best to hide my disappointment.

I nodded mutely and walked over to Harry, trying to make myself smile.

"I'm not hungry, I'm going to go on a walk," I told Harry.

He nodded and stared at me with concern, but I left before he could ask me any questions.

I truly believed that Snape and I would be much closer after what happened to me. But I guess that I was wrong, because this was just how it always was. We would plan something, and then he would cancel them.

I sighed. It frustrated me, but I couldn't change it. I guess I would just have to live with it. I saw Draco walking down the corridor to the Great Hall.

He spotted me and came over.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I replied, trying my best to smile, but I think it came out more like a grimace.

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately, noticing my expression.

"It's nothing important," I insisted. "I can tell you about it later. You're going to miss breakfast."

"No Bella, it cannot wait. Something's bothering you, please just tell me what it is," Draco said.

I sighed. "It's just Snape," I said, giving into him. He wouldn't give up until I told him so I might as well get it over with as soon as possible. "He was supposed to take me somewhere today, but he just ended up cancelling like he always does."

"I'm sorry Bella," Draco said, snaking his arm around my waist.

"It's okay," I said. "I'm used to it, I just thought that it would start to change."

I smiled and then stood on my toes so that I could kiss him. "Thank you," I said after I pulled away.

He smiled. "If that's my thank you every time, I have no complaint against helping you."

I smiled and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, class is going to be starting soon."

He groaned. "I wish I could stay here with you all day."

I laughed and we slowly made our way down to the dungeons for Snape's potions class. We took our seats and waited for Snape to arrive.

"No more talking," Snape said, sweeping into the classroom, slamming the door behind him, causing many students to flinch.

He turned to face the class, but avoided catching my eye. "Open your book and choose any potion that you like. I will pick the potion that impresses me the most, and the winner will receive a prize."

There was a loud fluttering of pages as everyone hurriedly opened their books to search for a potion. Luckily, I had inherited Snape's potion making skills and this class was easy for me.

I settled on a difficult potion that was able to turn a person invisible for an hour and then I went to the cupboard and got all of the supplies that I would need to make the potion.

Draco looked over and saw what potion I was attempting to make and he snorted.

I rolled my eyes at him and went back to my potion. It was very challenging, but in the end I managed to successfully make it.

Once the hour ended Snape walked around the room, examining everyone's potion. He smirked when he saw mine and I smiled at him, despite what had happened earlier.

"The prize," Snape announced to the class. "Is a love potion, and our winner is Isabella, not that she needs it though."

I turned red, my face warming, while Harry laughed out loud along with a few others. Snape handed me the potion and I put if safely away in my pocket.

"Class dismissed."

Draco and I walked out of the class together.

"Congratulations," he said. "Even though you don't need that potion."

"Thanks," I said.

He kissed me lightly on the lips and then left toward his next class.

"Who are you going to use that potion on?" Harry asked me.

"I don't know, I was thinking that maybe I could use it as a prank."

Harry nodded, while thinking of ways to use it.

At lunch, Harry and Hermione came in smiling. I narrowed my eyes at them, instantly suspicious.

"What are you planning Harry?" I asked.

"I'm not planning anything," he replied, trying to sound innocent.

"Don't lie to me Harry, I can easily see through you."

"Where's Draco?" He asked, avoiding what I had said.

"He's not here yet, why?"

"Nothing, I just need to tell him something."

Harry was definitely planning something, and I was going to find out what that was.

After dinner, I followed Harry from a distance, watching his every movement. I leaned around a corridor as Harry entered an empty classroom.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked from behind me.

I spun around and saw Draco staring at me curiously.

"I'm spying on Harry. I know he's planning something, and I'm trying to figure out what that is."

He laughed. "Why don't you just wait to find out?"

"Because I'm impatient."

He laughed. "He's not doing anything bad in there. He told me to tell you that we're having a little party in there, so that we can spend some quality time together before Christmas."

"Who's going?" I asked.

"Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, me, and you."

"Fine, let's go," I said, still glancing around suspiciously.

"Hey Bells, Draco," Harry greeted when we entered the room. Harry had added three large couches and two small tables filled with snacks.

"Hi Harry," Draco greeted politely.

"Bells, you're coming to my house for Christmas this year, aren't you?" Harry asked me, totally distracting me.

"Of course I am Harry. I can't miss that, it's our tradition." I said and Harry gave me a hug.

Harry and I had spent Christmas together every single year since we were two years old.

"I can't wait!" I said. "We are going to have so much fun."

Harry laughed. "We'll plan it all later, but we do have to play Quidditch at least once a day."

"Trying to beat the Quidditch champ?" I asked tauntingly. "You haven't beaten me in years."

"That could all change this year, you've been away and I've been practicing."

I grinned. He was right. I had been away in Forks and he had been practicing. I would have to train a little before Christmas. I had a title to uphold and Harry would never let me hear the end of it if I lost.

Just then Hermione, Ron, and Ginny came in. Harry hugged Ginny when she came in and Ron watched, trying not to say anything.

Half an hour later we were all spread out on the couches. I was lying across one of them with my head in Draco's lap, while he softly stroked my hair with his hand. Hermione sat in Ron's lap and they were whispering things in each other's ears. Harry and Ginny were sitting next to each other, tightly holding onto each other's hands.

We spent the whole night talking and joking around with each other. It was one of the best nights of my life and I never wanted it to end.

**DPOV**

My beautiful Bella had her head in my lap as we talked and laughed. I ran my fingers through her hair, feeling the texture of it. She was amazing, and it thrilled me that she was _mine._

I looked down at her and saw that she was sleeping peacefully. I smiled at her and pulled her up so she was sitting on my lap with her head against my chest. I loved her so much, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing her. It frightened me that one day she would have to fight Voldemort. What if something happened and she left me forever? I flinched and cast that thought out of my mind.

Harry glanced over at us and smiled. "Do you mind carrying her to the Common Room?"

I shook my head and picked her up. She mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't wake up. When we reached the Gryffindor Common Room I lightly kissed Bella on the top of her head and handed her over to Harry, who carried her inside and up to her bed.

**BPOV**

I woke up early the next morning and found that I was in my own bed. Someone must have carried me up here last night after I fell asleep. Quickly, I got dressed and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

The Great Hall was decorated with red and green streamers, large Christmas trees from the Forbidden Forest, and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. The train was leaving in two days to take us to our homes for the holiday.

I spent the next two days spending as much time with Draco as I possibly could because I knew that I wouldn't see him for three weeks. Harry and I spent our nights in the Common Room planning our vacation and all of the fun things that we were going to do. Sirius was also going to be staying with us, and I was really excited to see him again. James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents, were just like my second parents, and I had missed them terribly.

We all sat together in a compartment on the train. We talked about our plans. Hermione was going to Paris with her parents to do some sightseeing. Ron and Ginny were just spending time with their family at the Burrow, and Draco was staying home with his parents.

When the train stopped in the station I was separated from the others as the crowd of excited students eagerly looked for their parents. Harry grabbed onto my hand and pulled me onto the platform.

I saw James and Lily standing over to the side, smiling at us. We made our way over to them and they pulled us both into big hugs.

"I've missed you so much!" Lily said to me while Harry hugged his father.

"I missed you too Lily," I said. Lily was just like a mother to me, and I had really missed her.

Once I finished with Lily I moved over and James gave me a big hug.

"It's good to have you back," he said.

I smiled at him.

Harry grabbed my hand. "C'mon we have to go get our luggage."

I smirked at him. "You just want to say bye to Ginny."

Harry glared at him and Lily gasped. "Is Ginny your girlfriend?" She asked, grinning at her son.

Harry blushed and nodded. I laughed at him. Harry rarely blushed and it was a hilarious sight to see.

"Well, you can see Draco," Harry shot back.

James raised his eyebrows at me and I pulled Harry away before they could question me.

We grabbed the luggage and hauled it over to Harry's parents.

I saw Draco and he gestured for me to come over and I silently obeyed. Draco put his arm around me and said, "Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Isabella Snape."

Draco's mom surprised me by pulling me into a hug. "It is so nice to finally meet you," she told me.

"It's nice to meet you too."

Mr. Malfoy shook my hand and smiled at me. "It's nice to see you again Bella."

I smiled. "It's nice to see you too, and thank you so much for helping me escape. you risked a lot by doing that and I really appreciate it."

"It was nothing," he said. 'I'm just glad that you're alright."

I turned to Draco and he pulled me into a hug. "Be safe," he whispered into my ear.

"I'll try," I said.

Unwillingly, I pulled away. "Have a good holiday."

"You too," he said.

I kissed him on the cheek, smiled, and walked over to Harry.

"Ready?" He asked.

I nodded and we got into the Potter's car and set off to their house, ready for three weeks of fun with the people that I loved.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I am so sorry about the long wait. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Please tell me what you think of this chapter and don't forget to REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

**BPOV**

I burst out laughing when I saw Harry stand up, covered from head to toe in mud. We were playing Quidditch near his house and I had knocked him off of his broom and into a pile of mud. I landed neatly beside him and he opened his arms up. "Come give me a hug Bella."

"No thank you," I said , backing away. But I wasn't quick enough and Harry pulled me into his embrace, getting mud all over me. He then picked me up and threw me into the large swamp of mud that I had pushed him into.

When I stood up, I looked down and couldn't help but laugh at myself. I looked completely ridiculous.

"You look like an idiot," I told Harry.

"So do you," he replied, barely containing his laughter.

We had been here for a week, and Harry and I had spent all of that time goofing around. Christmas was the next day and I couldn't wait.

"Mom's going to kill us," Harry said as he looked down at his muddy body.

"Let's go and get it over with," I suggested, sighing. Lily was going to chew us out for coming home dirty again, and Harry and I had learned that it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. We picked up our brooms and traipsed back up to the Potter's beautiful two story house which sat in a lovely meadow. Their house was so peaceful, and I loved sitting in the front yard, reading a book or just hanging out with Harry.

"What have you two been doing?" Lily yelled when we approached the house.

"Just having some fun," I said.

Lily was mad, but even she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the sight of us.

"I better wash you off," she said. "Because you're not entering my house like that."

She pulled her wand out from her pocket and sprayed us with ice cold water. I guess that was our punishment.

I pushed Harry in front of me, but Lily still managed to blast me with the freezing water.

When she finished cleaning us, she threw towels at us and instructed us not to come in until we were completely dry.

An hour later, once we were finally dry, we were able to enter the house so that we could change out of our dirty clothes. We spent dinner laughing and sharing all of our favorite memories from our past Christmas's.

"A holly jolly Christmas to all!" A voice said from the doorway after we had finished eating dinner. We all rushed into the living room and saw Sirius dressed up as Santa Claus with a huge sack over his shoulder.

I laughed at what he was wearing and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you again Uncle Sirius."

"You too Bella."

Sirius gave everyone a hug and then sat down at the table. We spent the next hour talking and laughing with each other, and just enjoying each other's company. Sirius told us what he had been up to in the past couple of months, and I was forced to recount what had happened to me when I had been taken by the death eaters.

"Off to bed," Lily scolded us once I finished my story. She looked worried and I guessed that she must have sensed that I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Harry and I obediently walked up the stairs and went to our rooms, wishing one another a good night. I crawled into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, anticipating all of the fun that tomorrow would bring.

**NEXT DAY**

I woke up early the next morning because Harry was jumping on my bed, trying to wake me up.

"Bella, get up! It's Christmas!"

I grabbed onto his leg to prevent him from jumping anymore and he fell down on my bed. "Please shut up Harry!"

"Sorry Bella, but you need to open your presents!"

I unwillingly sat up and saw a huge pile of presents at the foot of my bed. I tore them open while Harry watched, looking to see what I got.

Harry got me a Defense Against the Dark Arts book, Ron got me a big box of chocolate, I got a pile of clothes from Hermione, a sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a prank book from Fred and George, and a beautiful pair of earrings from Ginny. I also got more defense books from Sirius, Remus Lupin, and James, a handy spell book of useful household spells from Lily, a necklace from Snape, and lastly a lovely bracelet with a small diamond heart from Draco.

I immediately put the bracelet on and Harry rolled his eyes at me. The bracelet matched the necklace that he had given me a few weeks ago at the dance.

"Do you like my present?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry, I love it. Do you like mine?"

I had gotten Harry a book about Quidditch along with a box of candy.

"Yes Bella. Thank you, it's amazing."

I grinned. "Now get out Harry, I need to get dressed."

Harry walked over to his room and I settled on a green dress that Hermione had given me. I straightened my hair and put on a matching green headband.

When I finished, I walked down the stairs and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. While we were eating breakfast Snape walked in, looking nervous.

"Merry Christmas Daddy!" I said, standing up and giving him hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too sweetheart," he said, kissing the top of my head.

He gave Lily a hug and shook hands with James.

"Do you mind if I steal Isabella away for the day?" Snape asked.

I looked up at him, stunned. He had never done this before. Usually he would just pop in for a visit and then leave again.

"Sure," Lily said, looking just as surprised as I felt.

"Are you ready Isabella?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said, smiling. He led me outside and then we apparated.

We arrived in a small village that I didn't recognize. "Where are we?" I asked.

"This is where we used to live before Voldemort murdered your mother."

I gasped. I had never heard Snape mention that night. It was one of those forbidden topics, and he usually shied away from conversations about my mom.

"This way," he said, and started walking though the small town. We walked for a couple of minutes and then stopped in a small house with the roof blown off. "This was our house," he murmured.

I stared at in shock. I was pretty sure the roof was blown off when Voldemort's killing curse backfired. This house betrayed all of the horror of that night and I could tell that Snape was having a difficult time showing me this.

Snape walked into the house and I followed him inside hesitantly. The house was completely empty except for a cardboard box that was in the corner of one of the rooms.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Just open it," Snape said quietly.

I was so confused right then. I had no idea why Snape had come and taken me to our old house just so that he could show me a box.

I opened the box up and saw that it contained pictures of my mom. The picture on the very top was framed and it showed me, my mom, and my dad.

I gazed at my mother's face, and noticed that she looked just like me. We had the same long wavy black hair and bright green eyes.

"I look just like her," I murmured absently. I had never really seen pictures of my mother. There were very few of them and whenever I asked Snape he had told me that he didn't have any.

Snape nodded. "You act just like her too."

I looked up at him. "Why did you bring me here?"

He sighed. "I wanted to explain to you why I am always such a bad dad."

"But you're not-"

Snape cut me off. "Yes, I am," he said forcefully. "I'm never there for you and I'm always too busy to spend time with you. I always cancel our plans, and I don't even take the time to learn things about you. I'm not involved in your life, and I hate that."

"Then why don't you just get more involved and start spending a little more time with me?" I asked.

"Because you look just like your mother," he said, his voice cracking. "I miss her terribly and every time I look at you, you remind me of her, and it pains me to think about her and how she's not here anymore. I know it's a stupid excuse, but it's the truth. I'm so sorry that I haven't been there for you, but I promise you that that will change. I'll make it up to you if you'll give me the chance. Will you please forgive me?"

I stared at him, bewildered. Over the years I had thought about reasons of why Snape always ignored me. I had pondered what was wrong with me or what I had done to upset him, but this had never been once came to mind. It felt nice to finally understand, and I truly did understand his reasons now, but they still hurt.

"Of course I'll forgive you daddy," I said, curling up into his arms  
"Thank you," he whispered, stroking my hair. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

After that Snape showed me all of the pictures in the box and told me a story that related to my mom about each and every one. We laughed and cried at many of them, and it was a relief to finally be able to learn and ask questions about her.

Once we finished looking through the box Snape handed me the framed picture of all three of us. "I want you to keep this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's yours now."

"Thank you daddy, I'll treasure it always," I murmured.

"You're welcome, and I have one more place that I want to show you."

I got up, wondering what else he could possibly show me. I held onto his arm and we apparated to a beautiful lake. The water was a clear, breathtaking blue. The grass was a bright green and was filled with beautifully colored flowers.

"It's amazing!" I exclaimed.

"This was me and your mother's favorite place. It was a place where we could escape from the world and just spend time with one another."

I smiled as I looked around. I could totally imagine my parents here, just enjoying each other's company.

"Why are you showing me your secret place?" I asked. I was glad that he was showing me this, but if this was their private hang out I didn't think that I should be here.

"Because it's yours too. Your mother and I always brought you here after you were born. This place is as much yours as it is mine."

"Thank you," I said, tears coming out of my eyes.

Snape gently wiped them away with his finger. "You're welcome."

We spent the rest of the day talking. I told Snape about all my friends, Draco, and everything that I liked to do. I told him about my time with Harry and his family, and also about all of my time with Draco.

When it started getting dark, Snape said we had better leave. I glanced back at the lake one more time and then we apparated back to the Potter's house.

"Bye daddy," I said.

"Bye Bella," he said, and I grinned when he called me Bella and not Isabella. It was the first time that he had ever done that, and it was just the final part to one of the best days of my life. "Merry Christmas," he continued. "I hope I didn't ruin your day."

"Of course you didn't," I said. "This was the best Christmas that I have ever had."

He smiled. "I'm glad, now go and get to bed."

I obeyed and walked into the house.

"Hey Bella," Harry greeted, running down the stairs. "How was your day?"

"It was great, what about you?"

"Fine. Where did Snape take you?" Harry asked curiously.

I sighed. I probably should have expected this. I grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up the stairs and into my room. I told Harry all about my day and everything that Snape had told me.

"So, everything's alright between you two now?" Harry asked once I finished telling my story.

"Yeah, I guess so."

'That's great Bella," Harry said, giving me a hug, and smiling at me.

"I'm going to go to bed," Harry announced.

"Okay, night big bro!"

"Night little sis," Harry replied.

I got into bed and thought about all that happened that day. School was sure going to be interesting now with Snape acting like a real father.

The next two weeks Harry and I spent having fun and pulling pranks on each other. Harry and James played Quidditch against Lily and I. We won and the boys had to make dinner every night for a whole week. We also went and explored the forest right by Harry's home. We stayed up late and told each other ghost stories. It was one of the best Christmas breaks that I had ever had, but I was ready to go back to Hogwarts and see Draco. I really missed him and I couldn't wait to see him again. I wrote to him almost every day, but it just wasn't the same as being with him in real life.

The night before we were scheduled to leave, Lily, James, and Sirius threw a small party for us. We had a lot of food and Lily bought us a couple new school supplies like new paper and quills. They sent us off to bed early, but I snuck into Harry's room and we ended up talking about Hogwarts for half of the night, which was probably a bad idea.

On the car ride to the train station Harry and I kept falling asleep, which caused Lily to scold us for not listening to her. When we finally arrived at the station, James took my trunk for me until we reached the platform.

Harry and I carried our trunks into the train and then went back outside to say our goodbyes.

"It was good to see you again Bella," Lily said while hugging me.

"You too Lily," I murmured.

I moved on to James and he also gave me a big hug. "Look after yourself Bells," he instructed.

"I will," I promised.

I stepped back and watched as Harry said goodbye to his parents. Once he finished he went off to find Ginny.

I saw Hermione and I ran over and gave her a big hug. "I missed you Hermione!"

"I missed you too Bella," she said, returning my hug.

"I loved your Christmas present, thank you so much," I said, and she smiled at me.

"You're welcome," she said, and then she went off to put her stuff away and probably look for Ron.

I saw Draco with his parents. Mrs. Malfoy waved at me and I waved back. Lucius Malfoy pointed to me and said something to Draco. He turned around and gave me a beautiful smile. I had missed him so much. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and hugged her and then he hugged his father.

He ran over to me, scooped me up in his arms, and spun me around.

"I missed you so much," he whispered in my ear, once he put me down.

"I missed you too," I murmured.

He put his face down on the same level as mine and brought his lips on mine for a soft, slow kiss. I tried to remember that we were in a crowded area with his parents watching, but that was pretty hard to remember when he kissed me like that.

I pulled away and smiled at him. "It's good to be back."

He grinned and grabbed my hand. "Let's go sit down."

He led me into our compartment where Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were waiting for us.

"Hello everyone," Draco greeted when we emerged.

"Hi Draco," four voices echoed at him.

"How was your holiday?" I asked Draco once we sat down and everyone had resumed their previous conversations.

"It was alright," he said. "Nothing exciting really happened. How was yours?"

"Mine was excellent," I replied. "Snape came over on Christmas Day and we sorted everything out. He explained why he's always so distant with me, and we talked everything out."

Draco smiled at me. "That's great Bella. I'm glad that you two are growing a stronger relationship."

Draco and I talked and shared details about our vacations until I fell asleep, exhausted from the lack of sleep from the previous night. I drifted off to sleep in Draco's arms, smiling as I thought how good it was to be back.

**Author's Note:**

**I really hope that you liked this chapter, it is one of my favorites and I think it turned out really well. Thank you so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter, I really appreciated them!**

**I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! Thank you so much for all of your support, and please don't forget to REVIEW and tell me what you think so far!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I hope that you like this chapter, and please don't forget to REVIEW!**

**BPOV**

"Bella, wake up," a soft voice murmured in my ear.

"No," I whined impatiently and they chuckled. The train ride wasn't long enough for me. I could sleep for another couple of hours.

"Bella, we're here. You have to wake up now."

Sighing heavily, I opened my eyes and saw Draco gazing into my eyes. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, trying to hide the humor in his voice.

"Yeah," I mumbled, stretching my stiff muscles.

He offered me his hand and pulled me up. "C'mon we have to get up to the castle."

I got up and walked up to one of the empty carriages. We were one of the last ones off of the train so the platform was empty except for a couple of people who were talking animatedly to each other.

Draco and I got into our own carriage and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the castle during the bumpy ride. We sat there in silence, and just enjoyed being back in each other's presence again.

Once we reached the castle, I kissed Draco and headed over to Gryffindor Tower while he headed toward the Slytherin Common Room.

I spent the rest of the day unpacking everything. Hermione and I chatted about our holidays while we did this, sharing out favorite stories and telling each other about the gifts that we had received.

After a few hours, I went down to Snape's office.

"Hello Bella," Snape greeted. "Did you have a nice journey?"

"Yeah, it was alright. I spent most of it asleep, because Harry and I were up late last night."

"Bella, I am so glad that I have you," Snape said out of nowhere, completely catching me by surprise. "You are an amazing person and I am so proud of you. You have really proved yourself and you have grown into a wonderful young woman. Your mother would have been very proud."

I had no idea why he was saying this all of a sudden, but I wasn't complaining. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I love you daddy," I said, giving him a hug.

"I love you too sweetheart, never forget that."

Everything was finally okay between us. After all of those years of our rocky relationship, everything was finally fixed. I never thought that I would see this day, but I was glad that it had finally come.

"Even if I'm not there with you physically, I will always be with you in your heart, looking after you and making sure you're safe. Don't ever forget that, my sweet Isabella."

"I won't." All the stuff that he had done for me and said to me since Christmas showed exactly how much he cared, and it was something that I would remember for the rest of my life.

Snape pulled away. "You had better get to dinner. You wouldn't want to miss the welcome back celebration."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

On my way to the Great hall I ran into Draco. "Hey!" I greeted, running over to him and giving him a hug. I had missed him so much, and it was great to be back with him.

"Hi," he said, returning my hug. "Where have you been? I went to the Gryffindor Common Room, but Harry said you weren't in there."

"I was talking to Snape," I explained, smiling.

After I said that, my scar started searing with pain and I caught a quick glimpse of the Great Hall. Dread washed through me as I realized what that meant.

I ran toward the Great Hall as fast as I could, and I faintly heard Draco following me, asking what was wrong.

"Where are you going?" He called out, worrying lacing his words.

"He's here!" I yelled back, too out of breath to elaborate on what I meant.

Voldemort was here in the castle and he only came for one thing; me, and I knew that he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

I burst into the room and saw Voldemort staring at me. I flinched back from his piercing eyes, but still held my ground. Draco came in after me and froze at the sight before him. He didn't understand who I was talking about when I said 'he's here,' but he sure did now.

"Well Isabella," Voldemort said in a quiet, deadly voice. "You have escaped me many times before, but you will die tonight in front of all of your classmates.

"Go ahead," I said, trying to sum up all of my courage. The truth was that I was scared out my mind. I didn't want to die, but I knew that this was the end. I wasn't prepared and I didn't know what to do. Voldemort knew this and he smiled his cold, ruthless smile at me.

Voldemort drew his wand out and pointed it at me. "Goodbye Isabella Snape."

"No!" A voice cried from behind me, and I watched as Snape dove in front of me, taking the hit. He fell to the ground, lifeless, and there was nothing that I could do. In what seemed like an instant, it was all over, and he was gone. In all the movies and books when things like this happened it was in slow motion, but not this. It happened so fast that if I would have blinked, I would have missed everything.

Screams of terror filled the Great Hall, but I barely noticed them. All I could see was my dead father lying at my feet. I dropped down on my knees at his side.

"Daddy?" I asked, tentatively, my voice breaking. "Wake up daddy, you have to wake up!"

Draco came up next to me. "He won't wake up, Bella, he's go-"

"Do not say he's gone!" I snapped. I shook Snape, desperately praying for him to wake up. Tears started pouring down my face as I realized that he was really dead. He would never hug me again. He would never be able to comfort me, and would never say 'I love you' again.

A sob wracked through my body and I buried my face in Snape's chest.

There was a loud commotion across the Hall and I saw Voldemort standing there, smirking at me. Rage burned through me, and all I wanted was the death of the man who had murdered my father.

"You will die Isabella," he said. "But first I'll let you mourn your dear father's death."

Voldemort cast me another smirk and then dissaparated.

My rage vanished once he left and I fell to the floor next to Snape once again. Dumbledore came rushing over to me. "Bella, you need to get up. We need to move his body."

"No! I'm not leaving him!"

Strong arms wrapped around me and picked me up. I looked up and saw that it was Draco. "Put me down!" I yelled, trying uselessly to get away from him.

"Bella, you need to calm down," he said, trying to restrain me.

I said nothing. I just wordlessly sobbed into his shirt. It seemed as if the entire world had ended. Snape was my only parent left and now I had lost him. There were a lot of things that I had never learned about him and I felt so stupid now for not taking the time to find out more about him.

Draco took me to the hospital wing where I saw that Dumbledore had already brought Snape in. Draco set me down and I ran over to his bed and dropped to my knees again. "Oh daddy! I'm so sorry!"

Dumbledore placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened, Bella, but dying for his only daughter was how he would have wanted to go."

"He didn't want to go at all!" I shouted.

Dumbledore said nothing, he just stared at me with a sympathetic expression that I just wanted to wipe off of his face. Nobody else in the room seemed to know what to say either, they just stared at me in sympathy.

I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take the pain and the sadness, and I couldn't take their compassion. I ran out of the room as fast as I could and went to an empty classroom.

Draco came in after me and tried to comfort me by putting his arm around me. I shook it off and pushed him away. "Leave me alone."

"What?" He asked.

"You heard me," I said. "Leave me alone. I don't want to be with you right now," I choked out between sobs.

Draco stood there, looking shocked and hurt. But at the moment I couldn't care less. I knew that he was worried for me and he only wanted to help, but the only thing I could think about was Snape and how he would never smile at me again.

I ran out of the room and headed outside toward the lake. I slumped against a tree and tried my best to regain control of myself, even though I knew that it was a pointless attempt. I let it all out. All the pain, misery, anger, loneliness, and sadness flooded out of me, and after a while I couldn't stop it.

Over the next few weeks I avoided other people as much as I could. I spent my days on the grounds, in various empty classrooms, or in my dormitory. Harry had tried talking to me before, but I just slammed the door in his face. I felt bad about doing that, but couldn't bring myself to go and apologize to him. My life felt empty after Snape's death and I had no idea how to improve it.

**DPOV**

It had been a week since Snape's death and I had not seen Bella since she told me to stay away from her. It broke my heart to see her in so much pain, and it hurt me even more when she told me to leave her alone.

One day, I ran into Harry and asked him about her. "How is she doing?" I asked, hoping that he would be able to tell me that she was better.

"I honestly don't know," Harry said. "I went to talk to her a few days ago and she slammed the door in my face."

"What should we do?" I asked, worried. Harry was the person Bella was closest to, and if she didn't even talk to him, I didn't know what we were going to do.

Harry sighed. "Just give her some space. She'll talk to us when she's ready."

I took Harry's advice and didn't push her, but it was hard. I missed my Bella and I hated to know that she was in pain and that there was nothing that I could do. Every meal time I scoured the Great Hall looking for her, but I never saw her.

I kept wondering where she was and what she was doing. I just hoped that she would come back soon.

**BPOV**

I spent all of my time wandering around all alone, trying not to think. I felt miserable and I knew that what I was doing wasn't helping anything. Snape would want me to be happy and move on with my life. Just because he died doesn't mean that it is the end of the world. It was the end of a really big part of my world, but life would still go on. I was surrounded by people who cared about me and they would make sure I got better.

So after hours of debating with myself I finally went out in the open and talked to Dumbledore.

"Bella!' Dumbledore exclaimed when he saw me. "I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you doing?"

I shrugged. "I'm coping."

"I'm so sorry Bella. It is cruel how both of your parent have now gone."

I grimaced at that, but didn't say anything. If I started talking about what had happened, I would end up losing my control and crying.

"I think I know how to make you feel better," Dumbledore said, and I looked up at him curiously. How on earth could he possibly make me feel better?

"I understand it that you like to sing."

"You want me to sing?" I asked disbelievingly. How on earth was that going to help me get over my father's death?

"You could sing a song about your father and maybe that will help you feel better."

I stared at Dumbledore. I doubted that singing would solve any of my problems, but I decided to give it a try. I was tired of moping around all of the time, and if this helped me get over that, I was ready to do it.

"Okay, I'll do it. Just tell me when."

Dumbledore smiled. "Today at breakfast."

I simply nodded and walked out the door. Students were making their way to the Great Hall. Sighing, I joined the mass of bodies. I was dreading entering the Great Hall. This was going to be the first time that anybody has seen me since the night he died, and I wasn't sure that I could handle all of their questions and sympathy. I had been getting my food from the kitchens so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

As soon as I entered the Great Hall it was just as I had feared. People stared at me and whispered to their neighbors. I tried my best to look forward and ignore them, but it was pretty hard.

I made my way toward Harry who was looking intently at me. "Bella. How are-"

I glared at Harry. "Finish that sentence and I'll jinx you so bad that you won't be able to walk straight."

Harry's eyes widened at my outburst and looked down.

I sighed. "I'm sorry Harry, I just don't want to talk about it."

"It's alright Bella, I understand," Harry said quietly.

Throughout breakfast people continued to stare at me and whisper things about me behind my back. I felt someone staring at me and I turned around to see that it was Draco. He looked at me with worry and hurt on his face and it was then that I remembered what I had said to him. Guilt washed through me and I forced myself to look away even though I wanted to run over to him and beg him for forgiveness.

Dumbledore stood up and everyone quieted down and looked up at him expectantly, finally pulling some of the attention away from me.

Dumbledore spoke in a grave tone. "As you all know Professor Snape died a few weeks ago."

I carefully looked at the ground and tried to ignore the stab of pain I felt as Dumbledore said that. A lot of other students gazed at me to see how I would react, and I tried my best to avoid them.

"You all know that Isabella Snape is the daughter of Professor Snape and I imagine that she has gone through a very tough and trying time," Dumbledore continued. "As we all learned at the ball a while ago is that Bella is an exceptional singer, and I have asked her to sing a song to help her express her feelings. So would you all put your hands together for Isabella Snape."

Silently, I made my way to the stage and spoke into the microphone. "This song is dedicated to my father. He was a very brave and courageous man, and he didn't deserve to die the way he did."

The music began and I started to sing.

Sha la la la la, sha la la la la  
You used to call me your angel  
Said I was sent straight down from heaven  
And you'd hold me close in your arms  
I thought of the way you felt so strong

I never wanted you to leave  
I wanted you to stay here holdin' me

I miss you, I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer  
And now I'm livin' out my dream  
Oh, how I wish you could see  
Everything that's happenin' for me

I'm thinkin' back on the past  
It's true the time is flyin' by too fast

I miss you, I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you

I know you're in a better place yeah  
But I wish that I could see your face, oh  
I know you're where you need to be  
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you, I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la

I miss you, I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you

Once I finished there were several people in tears. While I was singing I realized that I had to move on and continue to live my life. Snape would have wanted that for me. He died to save my life, now I had to start living what he had so nobly given me.

"I actually have one more song to sing," I said. "This next song is dedicated to someone who I have treated horribly over the last few weeks because of my father's death, but that is still no excuse for what I did. You know who you are, and I'm sorry and I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.

I looked at Draco the entire time and he gave me a small smile. I started singing, praying that by some miracle Draco would forgive me. I've never gone with the wind  
Just let it flow  
Let it take me where it wants to go  
Till you open the door  
There's so much more  
I've never seen it before

I was trying to fly  
But I couldn't find wings  
Then you came along  
And you changed everything

You lift my feet off the ground  
Spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier

Watched from a distance as you  
Made life your own  
Every sky was your own kind of blue  
And I wanted to know  
How that would feel  
And you made it so real

You showed me something that I couldn't see  
Opened my eyes and you made me believe

You lift my feet off the ground  
Spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier, oh

Baby, you showed me what living is for  
I don't want to hide anymore

I looked over and stared right at Draco, singing this last part directly at him.

You lift my feet off the ground  
You spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier  
Crazier, crazier

When I finished students everywhere broke out into deafening applause and Draco made his way up to the stage.

"Draco, I'm so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it and I'm sorry for ignoring you. I know I don't deserve it, but can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," he whispered before pulling me to him and crushing his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and savored the moment. Everything was fine with us now, and I knew that with Draco by my side I could do anything.\

**Author's Note:**

**I hoped that you liked this chapter! Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate it. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I am so sorry that it took me so long to update, but I was on vacation and then school started, so I have been really busy, but I hope that you like this chapter and please don't forget to REVIEW!**

**BPOV**

Once we broke apart there was applause and whistles everywhere, and I smiled my first true smile in weeks. A few minutes later, people slowly began to leave the Great Hall, still sneaking glances up at us every few minutes.

"Can we talk?" Draco asked.

I sighed. I knew that this was going to happen eventually. "I guess so." I might as well get it over with.

Draco grabbed my hand and led me out of the castle and out by the lake. "What have you been doing these past couple of days?" He asked.

"Not much. I sat in my dormitory, I walked around the grounds or around the castle when everyone was in class, I avoided seeing people, and I tried not to think about what happened," I explained dully.

"I'm sorry Bella," Draco said.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked.

"Because I should have done something to stop it. He was standing right next to me and I was too shocked to even notice what he was doing," Draco explained mournfully.

I stared at him for a few moments before I answered. How could he even _consider _this being his fault? He had nothing to do with it and it made me feel even more guilty that I had been ignoring him. "Draco, this isn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. If it wasn't for me Voldemort wouldn't even have been here."

"Is there anything that I can do to help you?" Draco asked desperately. I looked into his eyes and I could feel all of his worry for me. He truly cared about me and he had been terrified that I would do something extreme after Snape's death. He was glad that I had come out of hiding, but he knew that I wasn't completely better.

I thought about how to answer his question for a moment and then an idea popped up in my mind. "Do you mind helping me go through his stuff? As his only living relative I need to decide what to keep and what to throw out, and I need to look for his will." My voice broke as I said 'will' and Draco put his arm around me.

"Of course I'll help you," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I relaxed slightly. Everything would be much better if he was there to help me and keep me from falling apart.

"I'm just glad that everything is finally alright between us. I have really missed you," he continued.

"I missed you too," I said, and it was true. I _had_ really missed Draco. The only thing that kept me away was that I didn't want him to see me in pain.

"Are you going to class today?" Draco asked me.

"Umm, I don't know," I said nervously. I would probably have another breakdown if I went into Snape's classroom and someone else was teaching in there.

"Bella, you don't have to go back today if you're not ready. But if you decide to go, I'll be right there with you."

I smiled. "I'll go, I need to face my fears sometime, and it will just get worse the longer I wait."

Draco held out his hand and I took it. We walked hand in hand all the way down to the dungeons. When he opened the door I saw Dumbledore sitting in the seat that belonged to my father. I grimaced when I thought that he will never teach me again. He had taught me so much and I had a lot of fun with him during these lessons.

"Aah, Miss Snape, Mr. Malfoy. It's good to see you."

Draco and I took our seats while the others watched us like hawks. It was actually pretty annoying. Just when I thought that they had finally gotten over the staring at me, something happens that makes them want to gawk at me some more. They better learn to stop or I was going to end up slapping someone.

"We were actually just sharing some of our favorite stories about Professor Snape," Dumbledore said.

I winced and Draco put his chair closer to mine and grabbed my hand under the desk. Everyone was still looking directly at me, but now they just looked expectant. I stared back at them, confused.

"Bella, we were wondering if you might share some stories about him."

I was about to say that there was no way that I would ever do that, but then I started thinking about it. It might actually be good to talk about him and get some of my anger and sadness out.

"Alright," I said. "What do you want to hear."

Dumbledore smiled at me and motioned for me to stand at the front of the class. I squeezed Draco's hand one last time and then walked up to stand beside Dumbledore. "Whatever you would like to tell us Bella."

I thought for a moment and then smiled, recalling the first time that Snape had ever taught me how to make potions. I was only six years old.

***FLASHBACK***

I had been staying with the Potter's and Snape had come for a surprise visit. He took me to the school and showed me around and then he finally took me to his potions room.

"Here we are Bella. This is my classroom where I teach potions class to all of the students who go here."

I looked up at him with my big green eyes. "You're in charge of your class right, daddy? They have to do what you say? Kind of like a king?"

Snape laughed at me. "Yes, Bella. I suppose I am kind of like the king of the class."

"Can you teach me potions? Daddy? _Please?"_ I begged.

Snape laughed again and brought me over to his cabinet filled with all of the supplies. "Of course I will my sweet, sweet Bella. If I don't teach you who else will?"

We set to work on the most basic potion that he could find. We were laughing and having so much fun. I was sitting on the table next to the potion, and was in charge of adding the ingredients.

I saw a little vial filled with some red liquid. I picked it up and pulled the lid off. Snape had just leaned over to smell the potion when I put it in and BOOM! It exploded and black smoke came bubbling up from the pot. Snape yanked his head back, coughing.

"Bella! I told you not to add anything unless I said so."

I didn't even respond because I was too busy staring at what the potion had done to his hair. Once the smoke had cleared I could see Snape clearly. I stared in bewilderment for a couple of seconds and then burst out laughing.

The red stuff had turned Snape's hair red! His long thick black hair was now a bright, bright red.

"Ha-ha daddy! You look like a clown!" I giggled, rolling around.

"This isn't funny Bella," Snape said gruffly, but I could tell that he too was trying to contain his laughter.

"Yes it is," I said, still unable to control myself.

"If you don't calm down I guess I'm just going to have to tickle you," Snape said, grinning.

I gasped and tried to get away from him, but he was too fast. I started laughing harder as Snape tickled my stomach. "Daddy stop! Please! It hurts! _Daddy!"_

Snape finally stopped, but we were both still laughing.

Once we quieted down I went over and gave Snape a hug. "I love you daddy. Don't ever leave me."

"I won't baby, I promise. I love you so much."

***END FLASHBACK***

I closed my eyes, trying to keep my emotions in check because I was still in front of the class. That was one of my favorite moments with him and I would never forget it as long as I lived.

The class started clapping and I quickly took my seat.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"That was wonderful Bella," Dumbledore said, smiling at me. I gave a small smile back

The bell rang and we were dismissed. Harry came up to me nervously. "So you're better now?"

I grimaced at him. "I'm better than I was, but I'm not one hundred percent."

"I'm glad, I missed my little sis."

I smiled and Harry pulled me into a hug. "I missed you too bro."

When I pulled away Harry had a huge smile on his face, and then he turned to Draco. "Thank you so much Draco. I'm sure you were a big part of why she came back and why she's better, and I can never thank you enough for that."

Draco grinned at harry. "It was my pleasure."

Draco pulled me into a tight hug before he left to his next class. "If you need me just come and get me," he whispered in my ear.

"Thanks, but I think that I'll be alright. I got the hard class over with."

He kissed the top of my head. "I'll see you later."

Harry and I talked happily on our way to Transfiguration, but I could tell that he was being cautious with what he said. He didn't want to say anything that would upset me.

Throughout the day, random people kept coming up to me and saying that they were so sorry about what happened. I was forced to smile and lie, but all I wanted was for them to leave me alone.

By the end of the day I was so tired of all the sympathy that I skipped dinner. I decided to start organizing Snape's possessions, so I set off for his office.

It was a mess and looked like nobody had been there in ages. Tentatively, I made my way to his desk and began searching for a will. I tore through his desk, but couldn't find it.

After I searched though his office, I went to his classroom and found it in his desk drawer. With my hand shaking slightly, I opened it up and began to read.

_I, Severus Snape, leave everything that I own to my daughter Isabella Snape._

I stared at the page for a moment, thinking about how much that was when I noticed a small envelope addressed to me.

I opened it up and started to read.

_Dear Bella,_

_ You are the most wonderful person in the entire world and I am delighted to call you my daughter. You constantly bring a smile to my face and I can never thank you enough for that. Ever since your mother died I have been empty, but when you came back into my life this year I started to feel better. You brought back my happiness. I am deeply sorry for not spending enough time with you. I know you have already forgiven me for that, but it doesn't erase how sorry I feel, and I am sorry that you have had to endure so much pain in your life. There have been many obstacles that you have had to overcome, and you always stayed strong and pure, and I am so proud of you for that. I know that I will not be able to be with you for your whole life. Dumbledore told me that Voldemort will come to Hogwarts for you, and I know you were not yet ready to face him, so I took matters into my own hands. I know my decision will cause you pain, but it is the only way to save you, and I would not have wanted to die any other way, but I hate to know that we did not get much time together. I have had an amazing time this year watching you fall in love. Draco is a great person. Do not let him go. He is a special one and he cares deeply for you. Make sure you keep all of your friends close to you, you will need them. I wish that I could be there for your future: your wedding, your kids, your career, and so much more. You are a blessing sent from heaven above and I know that God will bless you in many ways. And lastly, I wanted to tell you that I love you. Never forget that. I may not be there to tell you that anymore, but it will always be true. I cannot convey to you how much I love you in this letter, but I hope that you can grasp a portion of it. I will always love you, and I will be watching over you. Making sure that you are safe and happy. Good luck and never give up hope._

_ With Love,_

_ Your father Severus Snape_

I completely lost control of myself once I finished reading the letter. I dropped to the ground and let out all of the misery that had been building up inside me. It was like a bomb that was set to explode. I had kept all of my pain hidden during the day, and now it was all flooding back to me.

The door creaked open and Draco walked in. He hurried over to me when he saw me on the floor.

"Oh Bella," he murmured, pulling me into his arms. "What happened?"

Silently, I handed him the letter and watched his face as he read through it. "I'm so sorry Bella," he said, pulling me closer to him.

"He died for me, he had _planned _that," I cried out. I couldn't believe that he would give up his life just for me. I would have rather died than have him do that.

"I know Bella, but he knew what he was doing. He probably thought it all out, and he wouldn't have done something like that without a good reason."

"What was that?" I asked.

"You were his only daughter, Bella, he loved you. He would do anything for you and I'm sure he was happy to be able to die for you," Draco murmured.

I knew he was right and that he had done a very noble thing by giving himself up for me, but it still hurt and pained me to know that I was the cause of his death. Draco continued to hold me, stroking my hair, trying to calm me down, and surprisingly it did help me. Being in his arms just made me feel secure once again. I remember Snape's letter, _do not let him go. _And I never would. He was a huge part of my life and if I lost him, I truly would die, but with Draco by my side, I could do anything.

**I hope that you liked this chapter. Please don't forget to tell me what you think and REVIEW!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that it took me so long to update, I have just been so busy. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and please don't forget to review! I really appreciate all of the people who reviewed the last few chapters, I have really enjoyed hearing all of your opinions!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or Harry Potter!**

**BPOV**

Over the next few weeks I continued to get better and to move on. All of my friends were extremely supportive, and I could not thank them enough for that. Ron always cracked a joke when I started thinking too much and my expression would cloud over with sadness. Hermione would patiently comfort me when I would wake up in the night, screaming. Harry was always there to cheer me up and to listen to my problems. And Draco was always spectacular. It always amazed me how he would drop everything he was doing just to comfort me. His mere presence instantly calmed me and for the past few days it was necessary that he spent as much time with me as possible, and I was exceptionally grateful for all he had done for me.

I spent hours at night trying to imagine how I could thank him for all he had done to help me. one night an idea finally came to me and I grinned, reviewing all of the plans in my head.

The following Saturday I woke up, smiling. When lunch time rolled around I grabbed Draco and dragged him outside.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked curiously.

"Be patient," I scolded, grinning.

I led him around the lake and showed him the picnic that I had set up for us.

Draco smiled when he saw it and then turned toward me. "It's beautiful Bella, but what's the occasion?"

I shrugged. "I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate everything that you have done to help me."

Draco's smile widened. "It's no trouble helping you. I actually enjoy helping you get better."

"Whatever," I said. "We're still having the picnic."

We quickly ate our way through everything that I had gotten from the kitchens. The house elves had been more than willing to help me out. Draco and I laughed and talked with each other all day, enjoying each other's company and just the peace that we brought each other.

When the sun went down Draco and I laid down together on the blanket that I had put out. He had his arm around me and I was nestled into his side. We looked up at the sky and silently gazed at the stars.

"It's beautiful," I murmured.

Draco turned his head to look at me. "Yeah, but it's not as beautiful as you."

I blushed, looking into his eyes. "Thank you," I said, glancing away.

Draco gently lifted my chin up so that my face was on the same level as his. "Don't be embarrassed. You truly are an amazing person and I know I don't deserve you. I am extremely fortunate to have you, and I love you so much."

Smiling, I whispered, "I love you too."

Draco brought his face closer to mine and pulled me in for a passionate kiss which I quickly responded to. And that was how spent the rest of our perfect evening.

The day of Snape's funeral finally arrived. I dressed in a black dress that reached mid-thigh, paired with black heels. Hermione gave me a hug when she saw my expression once I finished changing. Hermione was also invited to the funeral and was wearing a black blouse and skirt.

We made our way down to the Great Hall in silence. Mostly people stared at us, but a few came up and told me they were sorry for what happened. I smiled politely and thanked them even though I would rather not say anything. Hermione could sense that I wanted to be alone so she quietly said, "I'll see you later, I'm going to go find Ron."

Harry, Ron, and Draco were also attending the funeral and they were all supposed to wear black suits. I laughed as I saw Harry struggling with his tie.

"Having trouble there bro?" I asked, smirking.

"Yes, could you please help me?" He asked, exasperated.

I laughed and unknotted his tie and quickly fixed it.

"Thanks," he said, sitting down and piling food onto his plate. I smiled at him. He was supposed to give a speech at the funeral today, and he tended to eat when he was nervous. I on the other hand usually didn't eat anything when I was nervous. But I wasn't nervous about speaking in front of a large crowd like Harry was. I was worried about facing everyone. Undoubtedly they would all ask me if I was all right and try uselessly to cheer me up. I didn't want to hear all of their sympathy. I didn't like people to see my pain. It was something that I wanted to keep private and I didn't want an audience for.

Just then Draco entered the Great Hall wearing a crisp black suit that contrasted nicely with his pale skin. He smiled tentatively at me, obviously afraid that the funeral would bring me back into my depression.

I smiled back reassuringly and he made his way over to us.

"Good morning," he greeted when he reached us, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

Draco grabbed a piece of toast and looked over at Harry who had finished his breakfast and was now gazing intently at a piece of paper.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked him.

"I'm trying to memorize my speech for the funeral. I don't want to mess up," Harry replied absently and then looked up at me. "That reminds me Bella. Can I see your speech? I want to make sure my speech isn't totally terrible."

I smiled. "Sorry, I don't have one."

Harry gazed at me, looking slightly worried. "You are speaking aren't you?"

"Of course I am," I said. "I just don't write a speech out."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

I sighed. "Because Snape didn't write out a speech for my mom's funeral. He said that it is better for your words to be spontaneous and to come from your heart rather than just reading off a piece of paper."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think you made up your own speech that day too," Harry said, smirking.

"Don't make fun of me. I was too young to understand what everything meant."

"What did you say?" Draco asked curiously.

I looked down. "I said something like 'I'll miss you mommy, and I'll see you soon.'"

Harry smiled. "I remember that day perfectly," he said. "That was the day your dad introduced me to you. You pushed me down into the mud and ran away crying."

I laughed, "Then you came running after me so you could make it even. You were much stronger than I was, so you dragged me away and dropped me into a pile of mud. We ended up wrestling in there until your mom came and found us."

Harry and I laughed together and Draco smiled at us. "She blamed me for everything even though you were the one who started it."

I laughed again. "Maybe we'll get to do that again."

I sure hoped we would, I would need something to distract me from all the pain and sadness.

Just then Dumbledore came up to our table. "Once you finish your breakfast, come up to my office and we will all leave together."

I nodded. "Thanks professor."

Dumbledore walked out of the Great Hall, and I laughed when I saw Ron and Hermione. They both had these huge grins on their faces and Ron's hair was a mess.

"What have you two been doing?" I asked slyly when they reached the table. Hermione blushed and Ron mumbled a quiet, 'shut up.'

I laughed softly and then stood up. "I'll be right back, and Ron you might want to fix your hair."

Harry laughed and Ron glared at him. "I'll meet you in Dumbledore's office," I said quickly and walked away before Ron got really mad.

I ran up to my dormitory and got out the picture that Snape had given me on Christmas. I gazed at his face and saw all the love and happiness he had when he was in my mother's presence. He seemed so much happier back then and I supposed that I should be happy for him, because he was back with her now. Happy, and both watching over their daughter. I smiled and carefully put the picture away, suddenly filled with the confidence that I would need to face the day.

Quickly, I made my way up to Dumbledore's office, and saw everyone waiting for me.

"Sorry," I apologized, taking a seat next to Draco who shifted so he could put his arm around me.

"It's alright," Dumbledore said. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded. "I guess."

We all stepped up to the fireplace and one by one stepped in and transported to the place where the funeral was being held.

Harry and I sat at the front with all of the other's who were giving speeches. Hermione, Ron, and Draco went with Dumbledore to sit somewhere in the back.

The audience contained Snape's friends, fellow teachers, and a few of his and my mom's relatives.

"Are you ready for this?" Harry asked, staring at my face searchingly.

"Not really, but I'm going to try my best not to cry."

"I could always call Draco if you start sobbing. I know he can calm you down and make you feel better," Harry teased.

I rolled my eyes at Harry, cringing slightly. I knew that Harry would never stop teasing me about that.

Once everyone was finally seated the service began. Two men brought in a coffin where my dead father laid. Harry grabbed my hand when he saw my expression and I glanced at him gratefully.

One by one Snape's closest friends went up onstage and said their goodbyes to Snape. Some shared memories about great times they had had together, and some told the audience what a great person he was.

When all those who were supposed to give a speech finished, I stood up and walked over to the podium.

"Hello everyone," I said. "Thank you so much for coming today. I know you're probably tired of listening to all of these speeches, but I ask you to bear with one more." I took a deep breath and then began again. "My dad always went above and beyond to teach me valuable life lessons, and that one that stands out to me right now is to be happy and don't let anything let you down. Even though your life seems miserable, you need to focus on the bright side. Even though I feel empty right now I can still look on the bright side and see a happier outcome, thanks to him. And I can never thank him enough for that, because if he hadn't taught me that I probably wouldn't have shown up today. My dad and I weren't all that close when I was growing up, but I know that he still loved me, because he showed that to me when he dove in front of me and took Voldemort's hit."

A few people gasped as I said that and I noticed a few people were hastily wiping tears away from their eyes. "My dad was a spectacular person, and I am sure he is proud of how he died," I continued. "He made me who I am today and I am very proud to be his daughter."

I stepped off of the podium and the audience broke out into applause, but I barely noticed. I walked over to where my father was laying and gazed into the coffin. I swore to myself before that I would not cry at all today, but seeing his dead body wiped away all of my control and brought back memories of that fateful night.

"I love you daddy," I whispered, kissing his forehead. I gazed at his face one last time before I shut the lid with a resounding click. I turned back toward the crowd, tears still pouring down my face, and took me seat next to Harry. He wrapped his arms around me comfortingly and rubbed my back soothingly.

Once the service officially ended I rushed over to Draco and threw my arms around him.

"Oh Bella. I'm so sorry."

I laughed shakily. "I told myself I wouldn't cry."

"Bella, this is your _father's _funeral. It would be abnormal if you acted like everything was fine," Draco said sternly.

"You're right," I amended, desperately trying to wipe the tears away.

"Of course I am," he said lightly, kissing the tip of my nose, and I chuckled, despite my current state.

Lily and James came over to us and they each gave me a hug. "I can't even imagine what you're going through," Lily said. "You're a strong young woman and your parents would have been proud."

"Thank you," I replied sincerely. Lily was just like a mother to me and it really did mean a lot to me that she thought that highly of me.

"You're welcome dear," Lily said, wiping her tears away with a tissue. James came up to me next and put his arm around me. "Bella, you know that you are a part of our family? We would be delighted if you will come back to live with us, just as you always have?"

"Thank you so much," I replied, touched. "You are family to me too."

Dumbledore walked over to us. "I am sorry to break this up, but we really must be getting to the burial site."

I nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

I gave James and Lily one last hug before apparating to the place where Snape would be buried. I had chosen to bury him in a small cemetery right next to my mother. I knew that that was what he would have wanted.

Once everyone arrived, the coffin was brought in and carefully lowered into the ground. Tears slid down my face as I watched. When it was safely inside the crowd began to disperse and conversation broke out everywhere.

I walked over to the huge hole in the ground and whispered, "I'll miss you daddy."

Draco came over to me and held me close while I sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed my back soothingly the whole time, never showing any signs of impatience, and that was one of the many things that I loved about him.

Once my eyes dried and I looked alright I pulled Draco in for a passionate kiss. I tangled my fingers through his hair, pulling myself closer to him. He seemed surprised at first but quickly responded to my intensity.

When we broke apart Draco looked dazed. "What was that for?" He asked breathlessly.

"A thank you," I responded. "I truly appreciate all you have done for me. You have been patient with me throughout this whole time and you have always been there when I was having a tough time. Even though I snapped at you, you never stopped caring. Thank you for everything that you have done for me, I will never forget it."

Draco smiled at me. "It is my pleasure to do all of those things. I will always be there for you," Draco murmured softly.

"I love you, " I said smiling.

"I love you too," Draco said, giving me a soft, but loving kiss.

Draco held his hand out for me, which I gladly took. "My parents wanted to talk to you."

"They're here?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't seen them at all.

"Yeah, my dad was good friends with your dad."

Draco led me over to a corner where Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy stood, dressed elegantly in all black.

Draco's mom held her arms open for me and I gratefully hugged her back. "Thank you so much Mrs. Malfoy."

"Oh please call me Narcissa."

I smiled. "Of course."

Draco's dad smiled at me and also gave me a hug. "And please call me Lucius. I am so sorry about Severus, I cannot imagine what is going through your head right now. I hope Draco has been treating you nicely," Lucius said, giving Draco a look.

I laughed. "Don't worry he has been amazing. Throughout this whole thing he has always been ready to help and comfort me. He has helped me a lot, and I think it is because of him that I had the strength to come today," I explained to his parents who both beamed at their blushing son.

"Is that true Draco?" Narcissa inquired of her son.

Draco shrugged. "I guess, but I'm sure I didn't help that much."

I put my hands on his shoulders and stared straight into his eyes. "Yes, you did. You helped me more than anyone. You are the reason why I was finally able to come out of hiding. Don't ever doubt that, okay?" I asked.

Draco grinned. "Okay, I believe you."

"You better," I said and quickly kissed his cheek.

"Aww!" Narcissa and Lucius chorused, watching our every move.

I blushed and Draco pulled me closer to him, which only caused them to start up again.

We were all talking to one another when a piece of mud hit my face with a _splat! _I turned my face, searching for the culprit.

Draco looked about to laugh, guessing who had done this, but Narcissa looked horrified. "Who would do such a terrible thing to you at your father's funeral?"

I smiled. "Two words. Harry Potter."

"I thought that you two were friends," Narcissa pointed out. "Why would he do that?"

I smiled at her concern. "I think he did it to try to cheer me up. Now if you will please excuse me I have to go and get him back."

I stepped away from the Malfoy's and searched the crowd for my target, and finally spotted him going off on his own. Quickly and silently, I rushed after him, careful not to make any noise and give myself away. While I was following him I grabbed a pile of mud up in my hands and threw it at the back of Harry's head.

Slowly he turned to face me, fighting a grin. "It's on now sister!"

I laughed. "Bring it brother!"

An hour later Harry and I emerged, covered in mud. Draco, Ron, and Hermione had erupted in laughter at the sight of us, but Lily gazed at us disapprovingly.

Tentatively, we walked over to her, waiting for all of the punishments that we would surely get.

"First Bella's moms funeral, now Snape's! What do you two have to say for yourselves?" Lily asked in a tone that had Harry and I cowering back. We didn't dare say anything because we knew it would just end up in Lily yelling at us longer. She continued to tell us how irresponsible we were and that we should be ashamed for another ten minutes.

Once she finished her rant she brought her wand out and sprayed us with water until we were clean.

"You two better not do that ever again," Lily threatened.

The sun was beginning to set and many of the guests were leaving.

Dumbledore came up behind me. "Are you ready to leave?"

I looked over at my father's grave and smiled as I saw all of the flowers on it. I knew I would be coming back again for many more visits. "Yeah," I said to Dumbledore. ""I'm ready."

Draco came up behind me and pulled me into his side. "You okay?" He asked.

I thought for a minute wondering how I should answer. "I guess so," I said.

"I'm glad," he said, gently kissing my forehead.

I waved goodbye to all of my friends and family, resting my head against Draco's chest as we got ready to leave. Even though my dad was gone, I still had a lot of people who cared for me and would do anything for me. I was very lucky to have each and every one of them. I knew that they would do anything for me, and I would gladly do the same for them. We didn't have to be blood related, we were already a family.

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews and for all of your support. I hope that you really liked this chapter. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I possibly can, and please don't forget to REVIEW this chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: I am SOOOOO sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I have been really busy with school and softball conditioning just started, leaving me with no extra time to write. I really appreciate all of your patience and hope that you will enjoy this chapter. I think that this story will be ending soon after a few more chapters, so please review and PM me if you have any ideas about how it should end and I will see if I can try to fit it in! Once again I am sorry about the wait and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

**BPOV**

The next few weeks were really boring. All of the excitement of Snape's death and funeral had died down, and I was relieved that people stopped staring at me every time I entered a room. Well, the staring hadn't completely stopped, but it had gotten a lot better, which I was very thankful for.

Hermione also reminded me that we had final exams coming up in a couple of weeks and that we would be done at Hogwarts.

"What?" I asked, completely shocked. I had been preoccupied and the thought of the school year ending had not even crossed my mind once.

"Yeah, we only have a couple more weeks here," Hermione explained and I just stood there, my mouth hanging open. I probably looked completely idiotic right now, but I didn't pay any attention to anyone else. I was in my own little world. I didn't want to leave. Hogwarts was my home. All of my favorite memories were from here. Growing closer to Snape, playing pranks on Harry and Ron, meeting Draco, and all of the good times that we had had together since then. I had never thought what life would be like when we were all separated, I had always pushed that thought to the back of my mind, telling myself that I had time. But as I thought back to what Hermione said, that we only had a few short weeks left, I suddenly realized that I was out of time and I was scared about what was going to happen in the future.

Harry laughed as he saw my mouth hanging open. If only he knew just what was really going on in my head, I was sure that he wouldn't be laughing. "Don't worry Bella, you'll do great at whatever you do."

I laughed it off and passed off my worry as stressing about finals. Hermione and Harry believed me and didn't question me any further, but all of the worries I had still lingered in the back of my mind, no matter how hard I tried to get rid of them.

Dumbledore brought another issue to my attention a few days later. One that didn't really surprise me, but was still distressing to hear.

"You wanted to speak to me Headmaster?" I asked as I entered his office.

"Yes Bella. Please take a seat," Dumbledore said and I was ninety nine percent sure that I knew what this conversation was going to be about.

He didn't waste time, Dumbledore just flat out told me what the point of this meeting was about. It was one of the many things that I liked about him. "Bella, now that the funeral is over I am afraid that Voldemort might try to get you again."

I sighed. "I figured that he would be coming to get me soon," I said. I had accepted this a long time ago and I honestly couldn't wait to face my father's murderer and finally end all of this. I wanted to get rid of all of the fear and pain that Voldemort caused me, and I hoped that he would come soon. I had been scared of him my whole life and I just wanted that to end. I wanted and needed to relax and have nothing to worry about for once in my life.

"I just wanted to warn you so that you would be prepared," Dumbledore said kindly, watching me. Probably looking for some trace of fear on my face.

I nodded. "Is that all?"

"Yes, you may go." Dumbledore said quietly.

I walked out of the room and wandered aimlessly around the castle, not paying attention to where I was going. Snape had believed that I was capable of killing Voldemort and I didn't want to disappoint him. I sometimes daydreamed about the day when Voldemort would finally fall from power. He had ruined and destroyed so many lives and all I wanted was for him to die and pay for all of the pain and suffering that he had caused people.

There was that part of me that wanted me to be the one to end it, but then there was the other part that was cautious and not sure if I would be able to. I wanted to appear strong for everyone, but it was so hard, especially after watching what he did to Snape.

I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran into someone and we both ended up falling down.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," I apologized.

"It's alright," a really familiar voice said.

I looked up and saw Draco staring back at me.

"Hello," I said, smiling.

"Hi," Draco said, amused. "What were you doing down here?" He asked, holding his hand out and helping me up.

I glanced around at my surroundings and saw that I was near the dungeons. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I wasn't paying attention," I explained.

"Why? What did Dumbledore say?" Draco asked anxiously. Probably suspecting the worst.

I shrugged. "Nothing that I didn't already guess. Voldemort should be coming after me soon now that he has given me enough time to grieve." I winced as I said that, going back to the night when Snape died and Voldemort told me he would give me time to mourn for my dead father before he came after me. He had had no remorse at all and I wondered how someone could become that evil, that killing people was _fun. _You had to have gone completely off the deep end, leaving all human emotions behind.

Draco stared at me worriedly. "Are you worried?" He asked.

I thought about my answer for a minute, thinking about how the best way to respond to that question would be. "Yes and no," I finally answered. "I'm not really scared about dying, I'm just worried that if I die, he's just going to continue torturing and killing people and that it will be my fault. I will have the chance to kill him, but I am worried that I will be too weak and I won't be able to do it, and if people will blame me for that. I'm actually excited for him to come get me, and I know that is wrong, but I can't help but feel that way. Whenever I hear his name all I think of is how he murdered my dad, and all I want to do is make him suffer," I explained.

Draco thought through my answer and eventually said, "I guess I see where you're coming from, and I would probably do the same thing. And nobody would ever blame you if you weren't able to defeat him. Don't ever think that. It's not your job to kill him, so people shouldn't expect you to. And don't feel guilty. It's natural to think that way after he did something that affected you so greatly. Just don't let your hatred overpower you. That is what will end up costing you your life and you can't let that happen, Bella. _I can't lose you," _Draco said, worry written all across his face.

I smiled softly at him. "Always remember my promise to you that I will come back to you. I have kept that promise for a long time now and the next time something happens will be no different. I love you so much and I will always come back to you."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and listened to his steady heartbeat. Draco sighed and pulled me closer to him. "I know you're right, but I love you so much and can't help but worry. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," I said. "Weirdly enough I like it when you worry about me. I guess it just feels good to have someone who actually cares about me."

Snape had always been there to care for me and make sure that I was okay, but now that he was gone I sometimes felt lonely and abandoned. I knew that it was stupid considering how many people I had in my life who cared about me and loved me, but I couldn't help feeling those things.

"Bella, there are a lot of people who care about you," Draco told me, gazing into my eyes in a way that made me lose my train of thought. "You are also surrounded by people who love you, I know that I do."

I smiled serenely up at him and kissed him on the lips. His arms snaked around me as he pulled me closer to him. My fingers tangled themselves in his hair.

After a while we broke away, panting and grinning at each other. "I'm really going to miss this," I said, not realizing what I was saying, and instantly regretting the words after they came out.

Draco pulled away. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, after we leave here . . . I'm just worried about what will happen. We won't get to see each other every day like we do now, and . . . and . . . I'm just worried about what will happen," I stammered out nervously.

"Bella, nothing is going to happen between us. We'll work it out when the time comes. There's no need to worry. We'll be absolutely fine," Draco said.

"But you don't know that for sure," I argued. "What if something happens. I won't get to see you very often and I don't know how I'm going to live with only seeing you a couple times a week."

Draco's face flushed with anger and I immediately realized that I said something that upset him. This really wasn't good. "So you don't think it's even worth trying? How do you know it's not going to work if you haven't even tried it? I love you Bella, isn't that enough? I'm going to miss not seeing you as much too, but there's nothing that I can do about it. Don't you trust me Bella?"

"Of course I do Draco! I just . . . I'm afraid of what's going to happen. I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me Bella! Do you have that little faith in me? How do we know what will happen unless we try first? If you don't want to try at all, what do you think we should do?" He asked and there was a hardness about him that he had never had around me before that made tears come to my eyes.

"I don't know . . . I just, I don't know," I said, crying.

A look of vulnerability flashed across his face and then it was gone. "Call me when you can finish that sentence," he said and then walked away.

I didn't call out, I didn't run after him, I just sat there, feeling sorry for myself and repeating over and over in my head how stupid I was. I had let doubt take over and I had pushed away the person who I cared about most. The one who helped me the most and who I loved more than anything. _What had I been thinking?_

Sobs built up inside me and I let out all of my anger and frustration at myself. I mean, how stupid could I be? He wanted to be with me after we left Hogwarts, but I had pushed him away and hadn't even given him the chance to talk about what we were going to do.

I heard footsteps approaching and tried to hastily wipe the tears away from my face. I was near the Slytherin common room and I didn't want Pansy Parkinson or one of the other Slytherins that hated me to show up.

I looked up and was surprised with what I saw. I never expected this person to ever looked at me with concern ever again. I had completely forgotten about them, only having bitterness and anger toward them, but seeing their expression right now I knew that there was still something kind and caring about them. Well, I might as well get his over with, I thought bitterly, standing up. I took a deep breath and stared up at the face of Edward Cullen.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and felt that it was worth the wait. Like I mentioned I have been very busy lately, so I do not know when I will be able to update again, but I do hope that it is soon. Thank you so much for all of your patience and please do not forget to REVIEW!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or Harry Potter!**

**BPOV**

I gazed up at Edward in complete shock. Out of all the people that could find me like this, it had to be him. I guess it was good in a way. Harry would go berserk if he saw me like this and Ron would insist on finding and teaching the person who hurt me a lesson, and I didn't want them going anywhere near Draco. He hadn't done anything wrong, it was my fault.

"Uh, hi," Edward said nervously, probably remembering all of the things I said to him when he first came here and how furious I had been with him. Lucky for him, I didn't have any energy to take my anger out today. Too bad, he would have made the perfect punching bag.

"What do you want Edward?" I asked, annoyed but also curious. He didn't look like his usual cocky self. I was expecting him to come over and gloat, but he didn't look like he was going to be doing any of that.

"I heard what happened right now. Between you and Draco."

"And?" I snapped, annoyed.

"I'm sorry about that. I can see how much you two care about each other."

I stared at him as if he had grown another head. Where was the mean and selfish Edward that I had come to know ever since I had arrived here? Out of all of the things that I expected him to say, this was not one of them.

He laughed at my expression. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that that is your reaction. My behavior toward you hasn't exactly been the best. Just let me explain why I was like that."

I nodded. " Go on." This should be good.

He took a deep breath and then said, "I was blinded by jealously. I said all of those things to you that day in the forest, and then I came here and found out that you were the Bella that I had known in Forks, and all I knew was that I wanted to be with you and I wanted you back. You made my life mean something, but then Jasper attacked you and I knew that we had to leave because we were a danger to you. So I made up that lie that I didn't love you anymore."

I sucked in a breath, remembering all of the pain and heartbreak that I went through that day, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as the thought that Draco may never forgive me. I had to hold back tears as I thought about that. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and concentrated on what Edward was saying.

"I'm sorry about that. I know it couldn't have been easy on you, and then to make it worse I come back and acted like a jerk. I just wanted you back and I was jealous that you were with Draco. I wanted to be the person that you loved, the only person. But then I started opening my eyes up and I saw how much you two cared about each other, and how truly worried he was about you after you're father died. I never could have done what he did, and I think that was when I realized that you weren't mine, you were his and you always would be."

Tears welled up in my eyes at his explanation. "Thank you Edward for telling me this. And I do forgive you for all of the stuff you did to me, but it doesn't matter. Draco probably hates me right now. He's never going to forgive me."

Edward tentatively put his arm around me and relaxed when he saw that I wasn't going to hit him or anything for putting it there. "He will forgive you. He loves you too much to live without you. He just needs some time to think and calm down and then you can work everything out. I don't know him that well, though, so maybe you should talk to Harry."

I sighed. Harry always did have good advice, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to tell him about this just yet. He would either be mad at Draco, or worse, disappointed in what I had done. I hated to disappoint Harry, and I tried my best not to do it. But he would eventually find out that something was wrong and he wouldn't stop asking me until I finally gave in. I would have to tell him, and the sooner I got it over with, the better.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go talk to him."

Edward released me and started walking away. "That's good, and I hope that everything works out, Bella, I really do."

"Thank you, Edward. I needed a friend tonight, and thank you for helping me clear my head and give me advice and also for explaining what happened."

"You're welcome, Bella. I'll always be there for you. Just call me and I'll be there. Oh, and by the way, Alice has been itching to go on a shopping spree with you."

I groaned. I didn't mind shopping, but shopping with Alice was a completely different thing. That little pixie was crazy and bought a ton of stuff that she did not need. For her and me. But I had missed Alice and I did want to make everything right between us. She hadn't made Edward's mistakes and I didn't want to punish her for them.

"Fine," I said. "Tell her, I'll go."

Edward smiled. "She'll like that. She's really missed you. Thank you."

I nodded. "Good night Edward."

"Night Bella," he said, walking away.

I took a deep breath and started walking toward the Gryffindor Common Room to find Harry and tell him everything that happened tonight.

I walked as slowly as I could, dreading what was to come. I was hoping that he would be in bed already so I could hold it off until the morning, but unfortunately that didn't happen and I ran into Harry on my way to the common room.

"Hey Harry," I said nervously, which earned me a questioning glance.

"Hey Bells. What's up?"

"Um . . .I . . .um," I stammered and Harry started to get concerned. He put his hands on my shoulders and demanded that I tell him what was wrong. I knew this was going to happen.

When I didn't say anything, he searched my face for any clues about why I was upset and then his face softened. "You've been crying. I can tell. Please Bella, tell me what happened."

That broke me. He really was concerned about me and wanted to know what was going on with me. "Okay, but please don't get angry with me."

He looked at me, confused. I shook my head at him and then took a deep breath and explained to Harry everything that had happened tonight. His face remained impassive throughout my whole explanation so I couldn't tell what his opinion was about anything.

"So?" I asked impatiently once I finished telling him about what had happened between me and Draco. I wanted to know what he thought about all this, but he hadn't said anything. I was starting to get nervous again so I asked, "are you mad at me?"

Harry glanced at me in astonishment, shocked that I had come to that conclusion. "Why would you think that Bells? Of course not," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "Yes, I'm a little disappointed in both of you. You both should have handled things differently, but it's in the past now and there's nothing that we can do now except concentrate on fixing it."

I smiled at him mockingly. "When did you get so wise?"

He grinned back. "Well with you and all of your problems, I've gotten used to giving advice."

I glared at him and he started laughing. "Okay, master of advice and good ideas, how am I going to fix this?" I asked.

The smile faded away and he looked at me, serious again. "I'm sorry, but I don't know." I sighed and frowned. I was never going to fix this. "But," Harry continued, "I do know how to cheer you up."

I glanced up at him questionably. "How?" I asked, dubious that he could even come up with anything.

His grin widened and I found myself smiling back in response, despite all of the pain I was feeling toward what had happened. "I know how much you love to compete against me so, Isabella Snape, I challenge you to a Quidditch Game!"

I grinned back. He was right, that did cheer me up. Nothing put me in a better mood than beating Harry at something. "You're on brother! Rules?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "We gather our own teams and in two days we play a real live game against each other and whoever wins is the ultimate Quidditch champ. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I said loftily. "Be prepared to lose. And we can choose _anyone _to be on our team?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, instantly suspicious. "Why?"

"No reason," I replied innocently, walking away. "See you later bro, I have a team to assemble. And thank you Harry, for everything."

He smiled. "No problem Bells. Don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything."

I smiled one last time before walking away. I had a few phone calls to make.

**DPOV**

I woke up the next morning feeling horrible. I had barely slept at all. I had spent my whole night brooding over what had happened with Bella. Everything had been going perfectly and I didn't understand how it could all go downhill so fast. It hurt to say those things to Bella, but I was serious about what I said. I didn't want to be with her if she had that little faith in me and was afraid about what would happen in the future.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for the day. Potions was bound to be awkward because Bella and I sit right next to each other. What the hell was I supposed to say? 'Sorry I kind of dumped you last night, but can we put that behind us so we can focus on this potion?' Oh yeah, that would go over real well unless I considered getting slapped across the face a good thing.

Slowly, I made my way down the great hall, trying to buy myself some time and also trying to avoid people.

"Draco!" A voice called from behind me. So much for avoiding people.

I turned around and saw Harry walking toward me. I unconsciously cringed and contemplated all of the ways that I could escape. I was sure that Bella had filled him in on what had happened last night and he had warned me that if I ever hurt her he would hurt me right back.

"Hey Harry."

"Hi," Harry said, scrutinizing my face. "You look horrible," he noted.

Way to make me feel better, Harry. "Yeah, I didn't sleep much last night."

Harry nodded and then said, "I just wanted to come over and invite you to the Quidditch game tomorrow. Bella's getting the okay from Dumbledore, but I'm sure he'll say yes. He can't deny her anything, especially after Snape died."

"Um, what are you talking about?" I thought that the official Quidditch season had already ended. Gryffindor had won again.

"Bella and I are facing each other in a Quidditch game. We are both gathering teammates and are going to be competing against each other. She was pretty messed up when she got back last night, so I came up with this. A chance to beat me always cheers her up."

I looked down, reliving last night when I left Bella there, crying. "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't want to hurt her."

Harry smiled at me. "You both made mistakes last night. You've hurt her before, and she's hurt you before, but you guys have always gotten past it, and I know you'll get past this. You two love each other too much. Just talk to her and work it out."

"Thanks Harry. I really app-"

I was cut off by a loud, "Harry!" I thought that it was Bella, but when I turned I saw Ginny walking over.

Harry smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek while I watched, wishing that I could still do that to Bella. "Hey Ginny, I'm glad you're here. I have something to ask you," Harry said.

"If you're going to ask me to be on your Quidditch team, I can't," Ginny said.

"What? Why?" Harry protested. After a few seconds Harry's eyes narrowed. "Bella," he growled out."

"Sorry Harry," Ginny said. "But she got to me first."

"Of course she did," Harry said angrily. He didn't say anything for a little while after that, he was probably busy thinking of all of the things he would do to Bella in revenge. "Who else is on her team?" He asked after a while.

"Um, Bella asked me not to tell you. She said it's top secret and she wants you to be surprised tomorrow."

Harry's scowl grew fiercer. "Which means that she has someone on the team that she doesn't want me to know about," Harry said, more to himself than to either of us.

Harry glanced up and something caught his attention. I looked up and saw Bella walking down a corridor with Alice Cullen right beside her, talking like they were the best of friends. They must have made up. A flash of jealousy shot through me when I realized that if she made up with Alice, she must have made up with Edward too. Harry didn't seem to notice this though, he was too busy worrying about his Quidditch team, typical Harry.

"Bella!" He called out angrily and her head shot up. Her eyes briefly met mine and I saw pain and longing appear on her face for a second until she blinked it away and turned back to look at Harry.

She glanced at Ginny and seemed to know what he was mad about. "Sorry bro, but I want to win and Ginny is one of the best chasers out there."

"You better run Bella!" Harry shouted, his patience wearing thin. Bella didn't need to be told twice. She took off with a quick "bye" to everyone with Harry hastily following after her.

"I better go find them before they get in to any real trouble," Ginny said, sighing and walking off toward the direction that they had disappeared in, leaving Alice and I in the hallway.

I smiled tentatively at her and then took off in the other direction, thinking about what Harry had said. He said that I should talk to her and work it out, but I had absolutely no idea how I was supposed to do that. I mean, I loved her and I wanted everything to be okay between us, but I didn't know what to do. I had told her to talk to me when she figured things out, but I wasn't sure if she _would _come and talk to me about it. Maybe she enjoyed being single, it sure looked like it. She had already made friends with the Cullen's and had a fun and intense Quidditch game planned. But I did agree with Harry. I would have to talk to her eventually and it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later.

I sighed. I would talk to her after the Quidditch game tomorrow, I decided. She would be too busy practicing before than so it was best to wait until the game was over. It was too late for breakfast now, so I turned around and headed toward the dungeons where I would have to bear the terribly awkward potions lesson with Bella. Today we would be meeting our new teacher. Dumbledore had been filling in until they found a teacher and today was Professor Slughorn's first day.

I made my way down to the potions room and took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing.

**BPOV**

Harry had finally caught up with me, but by that time it was time for potions class to begin and he didn't have any time to yell at me about taking his girlfriend, although he did keep up a constant murmuring of complaints on our way there, all of which I ignored.

I was too busy worrying about what potions would be like. I didn't know if I should ignore Draco or talk to him or say sorry or what. I looked calm on the outside, but on the inside I was freaking out, and to top it all off our new teacher was arriving today and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

Snape's classroom hadn't been cleared out yet and Dumbledore had already warned me that Slughorn might need some help with that tonight.

Harry seemed to guess where my thoughts were taking me because he said, "don't worry. You'll be fine. You've been fine all this time and today shouldn't be any different. Just stay strong and you will be absolutely fine."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now hurry up, we're already late. We need to make a good impression. It's his first day."

I laughed and we started jogging over to the potions room. When we entered, everyone was already in there and I saw a fat man at the front of the room, introducing himself. He was smiling and wearing light, happy colors. It was such a contrast to Snape, who always looked angry and wore black all of the time. The whole class was staring at us, including Draco, but I quickly looked away and focused on Professor Slughorn.

"Well hello!" He said in his loud and blustering voice. "You must be Isabella Snape and Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you. I'm Horace Slughorn, you're new potions teacher."

Harry and I smiled at him politely, trying to take our seats, but Slughorn stopped us. "You two sure seem close. Are you dating?"

Harry and I stared at the idiotic man in horror while the rest of the class laughed at our expressions and the question. "No!" Harry and I shouted out at practically the same time.

"Professor, I can assure you that we are not dating. Harry is like my brother. I grew up with him. When my mom died, my dad sent me to live with the Potters, so he is like family too me. I love him, but only as a brother."

"And I feel the exact same way, sir," Harry piped in, still looking completely shocked that Slughorn had come to that conclusion. "Besides, I have a girlfriend."

Everyone looked at me to see if I would mention Draco, but I didn't say anything and I knew that they noticed because a few of them started whispering amongst each other. I honestly didn't know what Draco and I were at the moment. I glanced over at Draco and noticed that his head was looking down toward the ground, deep in thought.

"Oh. I'm sorry to have assumed that," Slughorn blubbered out. "And Bella, Snape's stuff is still in here, could you please help me remove it tonight? Dumbledore tells me that you have somewhere that you would like to store it."

I grimaced at the thought of going through more of Snape's stuff. "Yeah, I'll be here tonight and Dumbledore has given me permission to leave campus tomorrow and put it somewhere safe."

"That'll be great Bella, but be careful when you leave. You still have a murderer after you, remember?"

"Don't worry professor, I'll be careful," I promised and then quickly took my seat, which probably wasn't a good idea because Draco was sitting right next to me gazing intently at my face with worry.

I smiled slightly at him and then turned my attention back to the front of the room where Slughorn had started teach. Occasionally I would feel Draco staring at me and every time I had to fight the urge to stare back. It was probably the longest class ever.

As soon as the bell rang I jumped up and made my way out of there as soon as I could. If the class hadn't noticed that I hadn't told Slughorn about Draco when Harry said he had a girlfriend, they certainly noticed that I didn't say anything to Draco when I left. The rumors were probably all over the school by now. Just what I needed, I thought sarcastically.

Harry caught up with me and asked, "are you alright?"

I smiled. "I'm fine, I just couldn't spend another minute in that classroom. It was probably the most awkward moment of my life," I explained.

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, it'll get better as time goes on. Are you going to talk to him?"

I sighed. I had no idea what I was going to do. "I don't know Harry. I will have to eventually, but I don't know what to say or do or if he even wants to talk to me."

"Of course he does Bells. This fight hurts him just as much as you. He feels the exact same way that you do. Just talk things out. You guys can figure this out and get past it."

I smiled. "Thanks Harry."

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Many people came up to me and asked me about the Quidditch game that was going to take place tomorrow. Mostly they asked who was on my team, but I wanted it to be a surprise so I didn't tell them anything. And I was right about the rumors spreading. Every time I would walk down a corridor, whispers would follow about how Draco and I had gotten in a fight and were now over. It was pretty accurate and I wondered where they got their information from.

After dinner, I walked to the potions room and helped Slughorn box up some of Snape's things. He didn't have that much stuff left. A few pictures, some potions ingredients that I just let Slughorn keep so he could use them in class, and a few other personal materials. It ended up just filling two boxes.

"Thanks for helping with this Bella. I know this must be hard for you, and I'm sorry about what happened. I taught both of your parents, and they were both experts at potions. And from what I have heard from the other teachers, you have acquired their skills."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. And yeah, I guess. Snape used to bring me here when I was little and teach me all of his secrets on how to make potions."

"I have some old pictures of your parents when they went here, would you like to have them?" Slughorn asked.

I stared at him. I didn't have many pictures of my parents when they were young, so this was great. I had always wondered what they had looked like back then. "Yeah, I would love that. Thank you!"

"Oh, it's nothing, Bella. Why don't you go put those boxes away and I'll go get my pictures and I'll meet you back here in ten minutes?"

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

I quickly grabbed the two boxes and made my way to my dorm where I would store them until I could bring them back to our old house that Snape had showed me over Christmas. Once I made it up there I practically ran back down to the dungeons where I saw Slughorn waiting with a photo album.

"These are all the pictures I have of them. They were two of my favorite students. Always so obedient and they really were genius's at potions!" Slughorn said, pride filling his voice as he talked about them.

"Thank you," I said. "This means a lot to me. You have no idea."

"You're welcome Bella. It's my pleasure. After all you have been through, you deserve it. Enjoy looking through all of the pictures!"

I smiled and started walking back up to the common room, already flipping through the album when I ran into someone. This was starting to look like last night when I ran into Draco and I was afraid to look up and see who I had run into.

But when I looked up, it was Harry. I let out a breath that I hadn't known that I had been holding. "Hey, bro. You ready to lose tomorrow?"

"I'm not the one who's going to be losing Bella, just remember that. What is that?"

I looked down and saw the album. "Oh, it's just a photo album that Professor Slughorn gave me. It has pictures of when my parents went here. He told me a little bit about what they were like back then and then let me keep this."

"Oh, well, that was nice of him. I'm going to go to bed. Bid day tomorrow. You coming?"

"Yeah," I said as I followed Harry back to the common room. Tomorrow was bound to be a fun day. After the Quidditch game I had permission to go drop off the boxes full of Snape's stuff at our old home, and then I decided that I would talk to Draco. I wanted to settle this once and for all. If we couldn't get back together then I at least wanted to be friends because no matter what happens, I want him in my life.

I sighed. I was definitely going to need some luck tomorrow.

**Author's Note: **

**I hope you liked this chapter! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I will try to get the next chapter up soon. The story will be ending soon, so if you have any ideas on the ending or something that you would like to see happen before it ends, please tell me and please don't forget to review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Hope you like this chapter and please don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight!**

**BPOV**

As I made my way down to the Great Hall the next day I was met with many people wishing me good luck for the game today and also a lot of booing and hissing from people who were supporting Harry. Who knew that people could get so excited about a game that had just been announced? Dumbledore had made an announcement about the game yesterday and everybody was anxiously awaiting to watch. Harry and I were known for vigorously competing with each other and people always looked forward to being able to watch our competitions, but I had never seen them get this excited.

"You ready to lose today little sis?" Harry asked as I sat down at the table.

I smiled at him. "I won't be losing today dear brother, but don't worry, Ginny and I won't rub it in _too _much."

Harry scowled at me while Ginny laughed. "I'll remember that Bella," he said before walking away to go talk to Ron who had just came in with Hermione by his side. She was voting for Harry's team because Ron was on it and she wanted to be the "supportive girlfriend." I respected her decision but I thought that Ginny had made an excellent choice by defying her boyfriend and joining the opposing team.

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was time for me to go. "I've got to go, Ginny," I said winking at her. "Our secret weapons have arrived."

She laughed. "Tell them I said hi!"

"Alright! I called back happily as I made my way towards the front of the school where I would be meeting my team's two beaters. Once I had found out that we could have _anyone _on our team, I immediately made a call and asked the best beaters in the entire world to come. They were nice enough to take a vacation from work and help me out. They were also Fred and George Weasley.

They may not be the best beaters in the _world, _but they did have skill and were the best at Hogwarts. Or they used to be. They left last year. I was supposed to meet them towards the front of the school, but I hadn't seen them yet. Although it _was _Fred and George, the pranksters of all time, who probably had some crafty plan.

"Bella!"

I turned around and saw Fred and George bounding over to me with their brand new brooms over their shoulders. Smiling, I ran at them and hugged them. "Thank you _so _much for coming! I've missed you guys so much!"

"We missed you too Bells. How are you doing?" George asked and I could tell that they were really asking me about how I was doing after Snape died. Ron must have told them how bad it had been.

"I'm fine. Much better," I said, trying to sound reassuring, but I don't think that they fell for it. Fortunately they didn't continue on the subject. Instead we started talking about the game and all the things we could to Harry and Ron once we won. Most of it involved taunting and having them call us the ultimate Quidditch champs.

We walked around outside, enjoying the scenery and catching up with each other. "So, how's the joke shop?" I asked, even though I could easily tell that it was doing just fine considering they were both dressed exceptionally well and had brand new brooms.

"It's great Bella. Business is really booming and we get to do something that we love _and _that brings joy to others," George replied, grinning.

"And all that gold isn't too bad either," Fred added.

I laughed at them. They were hilarious and the world always seemed much simpler when I was with them. They could be complete goof balls that had fun every second of the day, but they could also be serious and supportive and they were always there for me in times of need. I mean, they traveled all this way just so they could play on my team for one Quidditch game. They were the best brothers in the world, except for Harry of course.

By the time we were done telling each other about what had been happening since Christmas, it was almost game time. Fred and George went down to the kitchens to get a snack and I headed up toward my dormitory. On my way up, I ran into Ginny.

"Hey Bella. How are our beaters doing?"

"Hey. They're fine. They're in the kitchens if you want to say hi," I said.

Ginny laughed while rolling her eyes. "Of course they are. I'll see you at the game."

"Kay, bye," I said, walking away. Ginny and I had never really been close, but we had been getting closer over the past couple of days and I was glad. She made Harry really happy and I was glad that they had found each other. They were both amazing people and deserved happiness.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me and turned around to see Draco. I froze for a second and then relaxed. Maybe we would get to work everything out today.

"Hey Draco," I said, trying to smile without showing how nervous I was.

He smiled back just as hesitantly, and I couldn't blame him. The last time that he had seen me was when I was rushing out of the room after that horrible lesson of potions. I had never felt so uncomfortable in that room, not even right after Snape died. I guessed it was because after Snape died, I still had Draco in there to comfort me and make me feel better, but yesterday they were both gone. Snape was dead and Draco didn't want to talk to me. No wonder I felt horrible being in there.

"Hey Bella, are you ready for the game today?" Draco asked, trying to make conversation with me.

"Um, what?" I asked, completely lost.

"The Quidditch game," he said, concern creeping into his voice. "You know, the one that Harry challenged you with. Everybody's been talking about it. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, blood rushing to my cheeks. My reveries about the awkwardness of the last potions class had distracted me and I had completely forgotten about the game, which I was going to be late for if I didn't start moving. "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted, but I have to go and get moving. Harry told me that if I was even a second late, my team would have to forfeit."

"Okay, go ahead," Draco said, looking a little disappointed and hope washed through me as I realized that he might miss me just as much as I missed him, but unfortunately I would have to wait. "Good luck, Bella."

I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I didn't know if that was what he wanted or not, so instead I just said, "Thanks Draco, I'll see you later," and walked away. I ran up to my room to get dressed, my head still filled up with Draco. I had no idea how I was going to play if I kept thinking about him. If I didn't know better, I would say that Harry paid Draco or something to come and talk to me.

I looked at the clock and realized that I only have ten minutes to get down to the field. I ran all the way there, barely making it on time. Harry's smile faded as he saw that I made it on time and I grinned at him.

He glared back at me. "You just barely made it, Bells. Don't cut it so close next time," he said and then stopped talking as he saw who else was on my team. I smiled inwardly. Fred and George must have arrived.

"That's unfair Bells," Harry whined. "You can't get people who have already left the school!"

"I believe the rules were that we could have _anyone _on our team Harry. Your words, not mine," I said, smirking, while Harry's scowl grew more pronounced.

"Are we going to play or not?" Fred asked impatiently, although his eyes were sparkling. He found this just as amusing as I did.

"Yes we are," Harry said. "Be prepared to lose."

I rose an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. It was probably best if I let him calm down.

Madame Hooch blew the whistle and both teams came out. The crowd started cheering and we all smiled and waved at them, which only earned more shouts and cheers. Harry and I went up to stand next to Madame Hooch and shake hands. "Good luck" we both told each other at the same time and then we went back to our teammates.

The whistle blew again and we all took off. The wind whipping my hair everywhere as I flew higher and higher, my eyes scanning everywhere for the snitch. A few yards away I noticed that Harry was doing the same thing. He was much better at finding the snitch, but I was better at chasing and catching it. If we could mash both of our seeker abilities into one person, they would probably be the most amazing seeker in the world.

Cheers erupted and I looked up to see that Ginny had just scored. I smiled while Harry glared at me. He was still angry with me for stealing his girlfriend, especially when she was really good.

Throughout the game, the scores kept going back and forth. We would score and be ahead for a little while and then Harry's team would score a few times and it would be tied up again, or vice versa. I knew that whoever caught the snitch would be the winning team, so I doubled my efforts and started scouring the place for the little golden ball.

A few minutes later I finally saw it, flying around the other team's goal posts. I dashed over there, a smile spreading across my face as I realized that we really were going to win this, but unfortunately Harry had also spotted it and was flying as fast as he could.

I picked up the speed a little and saw Harry doing the same. The snitch took off for the other side of the field and we quickly swerved trying to catch it. I had moved quicker than Harry and was now in front of him, but he was very close behind, still determined to beat me.

The snitch moved again and I jerked to the right so I wouldn't lose the trail. Unfortunately, Harry had also acted quickly and was still following close behind. I could hear people cheering us on, everyone realizing that it came down to this. Half of the school was rooting for me and the other half for Harry. This was probably the most exciting game that Hogwarts has ever seen and it was funny because this wasn't even a real game. It was just a spontaneous idea that Harry had come up with to cheer me up.

The snitch flew down and I dove down to the ground after it. I was so, _so _close and I started reaching my hand out a little bit further. _Only a few more inches,_ I kept chanting in my head. The crowd seemed to have gone quiet, everyone waiting to see if I would be able to do it.

I almost had it when at the last second the snitch flew upwards and Harry was the one who responded quickly this time. I took off after him, internally cursing myself for not paying closer attention.

The crowd was roaring again as they saw the rapid turn of events. Some groaning that I had screwed up and others cheering that the game wasn't over yet. I looked over at the scoreboard and saw that it was still tied. Apparently both teams had scored twice while I had been chasing the snitch.

Determination filled me up and I sped off, chasing Harry and the snitch as if my life depended on it, and the boisterous crowd yelling in response. The snitch jerked down again and this time I wasn't surprised and was able to get in front of Harry. My supporters went wild and I couldn't help but think that this was the most intense game ever. The crowd had never been this involved before and I loved that I was able to be a part of it.

My fingers stretched out again and I prayed that I wouldn't mess this up again. I gave my broom one last jerk and felt myself boost forward and my fingers close around the cold, hard snitch. Everyone in the stands jumped up and started clapping and yelling and cheering. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to land properly. I had been going too fast and I was too close to the ground and I crashed into the earth, pain shooting up my arm.

I laid down in the grass, too exhausted to move. I felt Harry come up behind me. "Are you alright Bella? That looked like it really hurt."

I groaned, rolling over. "It did and I'm fine, but I think that my arm is broken. Can you help me up?"

Harry pulled me up by my good arm and the crowd who had gone silent when I had crashed went wild once again. "Good game bro," I said. "That was probably the hardest game of my life."

He laughed at me. "I know what you mean," he said, pulling me in for a hug. "Congratulations, you did great and you deserve to win. And, you also deserve to go to the hospital wing, because I can tell that your arm is really bothering you."

I pouted. "Can I at least congratulate my team first?"

"Oh alright," he said, giving in.

I smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and then ran over to my team, who was jumping around laughing and singing. When they saw me approaching, they all surged around me. We shared congratulations and then they lifted me up on their shoulders while the crowd continued to shout in joy.

After about fifteen minutes of celebration, Harry insisted that I go to the hospital wing and get my arm checked out. I reluctantly followed him, telling everyone that I would see them later. As we walked we were met with people congratulating me and telling Harry good game.

Once we got to the hospital wing Madame Pomfrey quickly mended my arm but told me to go easy on it and not do too much physical labor with it for a while. She told us both good job for our efforts in the game today and then sent us on our way.

"That was a great game Bells, but I hope you know that you are going down next time. I won't lose to you twice Bella," Harry said, smiling.

"Whatever you say, and you did great too, Harry."

Harry was about to respond when someone called my name out. I turned around and saw Draco running over toward us. Harry nudged me with his arm and smirked while I stuck my tongue out at him.

When Draco reached us, Harry quickly excused himself so that Draco and I could be alone. He thought that we were going to 'kiss and make up' as he liked to put it. I wasn't so sure though. I wanted that to happen, but I didn't know if it would.

"Are you okay Bella. You fell pretty hard."

"I'm fine, now," I said. "Madame Pomfrey fixed me up."

"Oh, that's good," he said awkwardly. I stared at the ground, not knowing what to say next.

"Bella, I'm so-" Draco started but was cut off by a voice that instantly chilled me to the bone.

A high, cold voice ran out , loud and clear, echoing throughout the corridors. It was a voice that instantly made me tense up and dread to fill me up. It was _his _voice. Voldemort. And he had finally come for me.

**Author's Note:**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hoped that you enjoyed it! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note : I am sorry that it took me so long to update. I have been busy with finals all week. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please don't forget to review! Unfortunately this story will be coming to an end soon. :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight!**

**BPOV**

I stared blankly in horror as I heard the voice and realized what this meant. My head was reeling as I recognized that the time had actually come. I would have to face Voldemort. I had talked about it and said that I would love to make him pay for murdering my parents, but now that the time had finally come, I was so scared and lost that I had no clue what to do.

I snapped my attention back to Voldemort's voice, putting my worries aside for a few seconds. I concentrated on his words and flinched when I heard them. "Students and staff of Hogwarts," he began, his voice as cold and harsh as ever. "I mean you no harm." I snorted. I doubted that. "Give me Isabella Snape and all will be fine. I will leave you in peace, but if you refuse, I will personally come into your precious school with my army and kill everyone who dares cross my path until I find her. You have an hour." **(A/N: This is NOT my idea, I took it from the Deathly Hallows!)**

I just stood there for a couple seconds, soaking in everything that he had said and its meaning. Either I go to him and die or run away to hide and have everyone die for me. I didn't like either one of those options, but that was unfortunately all I had to work with.

It took me a while to notice that Draco was still standing next to me and that he was desperately trying to get my attention. He looked horrible. This was what he had always feared. Voldemort coming and killing me. But I knew what I had to do. Wait. Scratch that. I _didn't _know what I had to do. So I did the only reasonable thing that I could think of. I ran off to someone who _would _know what to do. Telling Draco a quick goodbye, I ran toward Dumbledore's office. I kind of felt bad for just leaving him like that. I knew he was only worried about me, but I didn't have time for that right now. Especially when I didn't even know what we were right now.

I shook my head. I did _not _need my girly teen drama getting in the way of this. I would talk to Draco later and work this all out.

_If you live that long. _An annoying voice in the back of my head said.

I pushed those thoughts away as I burst into the Headmaster's office where Dumbledore had been staring at the door, obviously expecting me to come. He had a look of pity in his eyes, but also worry and fear, but most of all indecision. I meant a lot to him, but so did all of the other occupants of this school.

"What should I do?" I demanded desperately. My parents had never been around, and I had grown up making my own decisions and figuring out what was best for me on my own, but not this time. I could not do this alone, I _needed _someone else's advice.

The indecision was back and as I gazed into his face I knew he wouldn't have any answers for me. None that I wanted anyway. He didn't want anything to happen to me, but no matter how much he and I wished we could deny it, losing one compared to hundreds was much better.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I don't have your answers for you," he said. "I wish I did. You have no idea how much I wish I could help you, but this is your life that he wants and therefore your decision."

I sank down onto one of the chairs and put my head in my hands. "I don't know what to do! I don't want to die, but I don't want innocent people to suffer," I said, groaning in frustration. "I wish my dad were here. He would know what to do."

Dumbledore slowly came over and sat down next to me. Sighing, he said, "your father was very intelligent, but he didn't have the answers to everything. But I can guarantee you that he is watching over you right now and that he will be proud of you no matter what you choose, and so will I."

I thought about what he said and about what Snape had told me. He had always believed in me and said if you put your mind to something, you could do anything. He would want me to do what was right.

I smiled. "Thank you Dumbledore. I know what I'm going to do," I said, giving him a hug. "Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome, Bella," he said, holding onto me for a second longer. I think he knew what decision I had come to. "I'm so proud of you. You have faced many trials throughout your life, but you have remained strong and overcome each and every one. You are an extraordinary young woman. Not a lot of people would be able to do what you are, you truly are the bravest person I know."

By the time he had finished his little speech, I had tears in my eyes. I couldn't help it, it was just so sweet. I had no idea that Dumbledore felt that way towards me, and it touched me that he had such a high opinion of me.

"Thank you," I said softly before getting up and walking out the door. I made my way down to the corridor and found everything and everyone running around in panic. It was complete chaos. Students were running around trying to get to the escape route that the teachers had come up with and the teachers were trying unsuccessfully to maintain order. A few people stopped to stare at me, but I quickly pushed past them and continued on my way, trying to ignore all the whispers.

This was already hard enough. I didn't need rumors to start spreading around about me in what may be my final hours.

I flinched and tried to ignore that fact, but no matter how much I wished I could deny it, I knew I wasn't ready for what was to come. I could act brave all I wanted, but I knew that people would easily be able to see through me. So I decided to go someplace I could find peace.

I quickly changed directions and headed toward my room. It was kind of ironic that I was going to my room for comfort when I had spent many awful nights in there and had been trying to spend as little time as possible in there. When I reached my room, I dug though my trunk until I found the picture that Snape had given me of him, my mother, and me.

I smiled as I gazed at the picture, tears coming to my eyes. I would give everything to have them here with me for guidance, direction, and encouragement. Of course all of my friends could give me those same things, but I would have much rather have had my parents here with me

Dumbledore's earlier words came back to me. That my parents would have been proud of me no matter what decision I made. I groaned. Dumbledore would have been much more helpful if he had just came out and told me what to do.

Gazing at my father's face, I remembered his decision. He had sacrificed himself for me. Could I do the same? Before, I hadn't been too sure, but this picture had surprisingly helped me immensely. I knew what I was going to do.

I pushed myself up off the floor and started walking out of the dorms, gently putting my picture down on my bed.

I kept a lookout for Harry, Draco, and all my other friends. I knew they would protest against my decision, even if they knew that it was the right thing to do. My heart filled with regret as I realized that I might never see them again.

Draco. I thought. I wondered what he would have said to me if this mess hadn't happened. Would he apologize? Would I? Would he forgive me? Would we have gotten back together? A million questions flew around through my mind and I didn't have an answer for any of them. I quickly pushed them away and focused on my path ahead. I stepped out of the castle and started walking toward the Forbidden Forest, where I would meet Voldemort and finally end this whole mess. He had killed both of my parents and ruined my whole life. It was time that he paid for that. Tonight, I was going to kill him. Or hopefully I would. There was always the possibility that he would kill me.

I took a deep breath and made my way into the forest. There was no turning back now.

**DPOV**

Voldemort's message kept repeating, over and over in my head. He had come for Bella. My Bella. And he would stop at nothing until he got what he came for. I had always feared that this would happen, and now that the day had finally arrived, I had no idea what to do. I wanted to protect her, but I didn't know how she would take that after what happened between us.

I was about to say something to her, when she suddenly ran away, muttering a quick goodbye. I mentally slapped myself. She probably had some idiotic plan that would no doubt get her killed, and if I had been paying attention I could have stopped her.

Running hard, I tried to follow her, but she was much quicker and I immediately lost track of her. I ran toward the Gryffindor Common Room, because I thought that Bella might go to Harry or some of her other friends for advice, but when I arrived, I saw Harry looking exactly the same as what I imagined I looked like. Crazy with worry.

"Have you seen her?" Harry demanded once he saw me.

I nodded and he relaxed slightly. "I was with her when the message sounded, but then she ran off. I tried to follow her, but she was too fast and I came here, thinking that she would be here."

"No. She hasn't been anywhere near here," Harry replied.

We stood there for a while, thinking about where she could possibly be, when Hermione burst through the door. "She hasn't been in our room. Everything's exactly the same as it was before,"  
she announced.

Harry sighed in frustration. "Where the hell would she have gone?" He asked angrily. "I _know _she wouldn't just go to meet him, she would talk to someone and get their opinion. And with Snape gone, I don't know who she would have gone to."

An idea sprung to my mind and I immediately told Harry. "Dumbledore! She was close to Dumbledore. Would she have gone to him?" I asked and watched as Harry's eyes widened.

"Of course!" He exclaimed in delight. "I can't believe that I didn't think about that before. Hermione, you stay here to see if Bella comes here and Draco and I will go see if Bella is with Dumbledore."

Hermione nodded and we took off, running as fast as our legs could carry us. We received a few strange looks, but I ignored them. My Bella was in danger and I needed to make sure that she was okay.

We finally managed to make it to the headmaster's office, and when we opened the door we saw Dumbledore sitting down with his head in his hands. Dread washed through me as I examined the room and noticed that Bella was not with him.

Dumbledore looked up as we entered and I could see all of the grief that this was causing him. Bella wasn't just a student to him. He had grown close to her over the years and wanted her to be safe just as much as I did. "Professor," Harry said, disappointment coloring his voice as he too noticed that Bella was not in here. "Have you seen Bella? Has she come to see you?"

The headmaster sat up slowly. "She has," he said gravely. "You just missed her, actually. She came to ask me what she should do about the choice that Lord Voldemort has given her."

"What did you tell her?" Harry demanded. "Please tell me you didn't tell her to go off and meet him. She's not ready! She could die!"

Dumbledore regarded us sympathetically. "I told her that it wasn't my decision to make because it was her life, not mine. I wished that I could have helped her, but there was nothing I could say. There were no good options. She could either go out and meet him, or wait in the school and have people die in her place until Voldemort finally reached her and killed her himself. Either way would end in disaster."

"Did she tell you what she was going to do?" I asked hesitantly. The way he was speaking made me think that I knew what Bella had chosen.

"She didn't directly tell me, but from what she said, I was under the impression that she was going to meet him in the forest," Dumbledore said sadly, even though I could detect a hint of pride in his voice. He thought that she made the right decision, I realized. He had _wanted _her to go.

"She didn't even come to say goodbye before she goes out there and gets killed?' Harry thundered, also sensing what I had.

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think she planned on going down without a fight. There is still a chance that she could win."

"A very small chance!" Harry shouted. He glared at Dumbledore for a second longer until he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the office, muttering, "come on Draco, let's try to find Bella."

I didn't have to be told twice. I would do anything to keep Bella from harm. Even if that meant that I follow in Snape's footsteps and throw myself in front of her.

Harry and I continued running through the corridors, trying to make it to the front of the school, hoping that we could somehow escape and attempt to save Bella. But unfortunately when we reached the door, it was locked up with tons of people guarding it. We sighed in disappointment and stood there, staring at the door.

"Maybe she is still here?' I suggested quietly, knowing full well that that wasn't the case.

"I doubt it," Harry replied miserably.

I sighed. I hated feeling powerless. Bella could be in serious danger right now and there was nothing that I could do. It brought back memories of the time when Bellatrix Lestrange had taken Bella and tortured her. Those were not memories that I wanted to relive.

Harry was about to say something when a voice rang out through the halls again. I felt all the color drain from my face, but relaxed when I realized that it was Dumbledore's voice. "Attention. All students are to report to the Great Hall immediately. No exceptions."

Harry and I looked at each other and reluctantly made our way to the Great Hall, but not before glancing at the door longingly one last time. All I could do was hope that Bella was alright.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope that you enjoyed it! Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**


	24. Chapter 24

**BPOV**

I continued walking through the Forbidden Forest, wondering if I had made the right choice. _Of course you did, _a voice in the back of my head said, but I couldn't help but doubt it. I mean, would it have killed me to say goodbye to my friends? If I survived this there would be hell to pay for this, especially from Harry.

As I got deeper into the forest, I started hearing voices. Death eaters, I realized. Voldemort must have sent them out here to search for me. I quietly walked the other way, dodging them. I continued walking a long for a few more minutes until I could make out a fire in the distance with bodies surrounding it. _This is it, _I told myself. _ No turning back now._

Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my breathing. Voldemort had been after me since I was one year old. He had destroyed my life and the lives of many others. I thought of my father and his loving, courageous nature. He would gladly have sacrificed himself for those he loves, and I wanted to make him proud. I knew it was the right thing to do and I knew that Snape would have been proud.

As I got ready to step out into the open, I thought of Draco. I wished that I could have made everything right between us before all of this happened. Of course there was a chance that I could defeat Voldemort, but it was very slim. Besides, even if I managed to kill him, the second he fell, his death eaters would be on me. So with that happy thought, I stepped into the small clearing where Voldemort was, with only a few words coming to mind. I love you Draco, no matter what.

All heads snapped toward me as soon as I appeared from behind a tree. Mostly the faces were surprised that I had actually come, but Voldemort just smiled at me knowingly as if he expected that I would come.

It made me angry that he seemed to know me so well. I glared at him, but he didn't seem fazed. He just continued to smirk at me, although I could detect a hint of apprehension in his deadly, red eyes. Certainly, I had to be his greatest challenge. I had escaped him multiple times, something that no other person had been able to do. I didn't think that there was even a person who had escaped him once. It was kind of ironic that fully trained wizards couldn't scare him, yet a teenage girl who was still in school could. I would honestly never understand that.

"Hello Isabella," Voldemort greeted coolly, his eyes never leaving mine. "I had a feeling you might come. It's nice to see you again," he said in a tone that clearly showed that that was a lie. He was just as worried about this moment as I was.

"Sorry, but I can't say the same for you," I said, trying to sound brave, but he could clearly see through me.

Before I could say anything more, Voldemort snapped his fingers and I felt a strong pair of arms grab my own and vehemently shove them behind my back. I struggled to get free, but to no avail. Many of the death eaters cackled maniacally as they saw me squirming helplessly to escape.

Voldemort slowly rose from his position on the floor and made his way over to me. I cowered back and many snickered at my fear. "You see, Isabella, I was thinking earlier that you shouldn't die in a lonely forest where no one can see. You should die in front of all your friends and schoolmates, then, everyone will know that nobody, especially not a silly little girl, can defeat Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard that ever lived."

I spat at his feet in disgust. He truly was sick, killing me wasn't enough for him, he wanted to drag me back into the school and kill me there. In front of Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. My friends. My family.

Voldemort slapped me across the face, and I felt tears involuntarily creep into my eyes. "Don't you dare act that way toward Lord Voldemort, you insolent little girl."

I bit my tongue to keep a string of insults from escaping my mouth. No need to make him angrier.

"After today, everyone will know that Lord Voldemort is invincible, and _nobody _can ever stand against me."

I looked around the circle and saw that almost every single person was looking at Voldemort in awe of what he was saying, except for one. Lucius Malfoy.

I wasn't really that surprised to see him here, because after he had helped me escape, Dumbledore had asked him to be a spy for him. He had given Dumbledore a lot of valuable information, so I was surprised that he hadn't mentioned this little invasion.

Lucius looked terrified for me. He knew that this time there was no chance that I could escape. I would have to face Voldemort. As I looked at his face, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between him and Draco. Same color hair, same skin color, and the same cool grey eyes.

I looked away, I couldn't take it anymore. I loved Draco so much and it pained me to realize that I might never see him again. I wished that we could have had a normal life. If that was the case, I could have been in the castle, in Draco's arms, having him comforting me and telling me that this nightmare would be over soon because somebody else would deal with it.

But, unfortunately, that would never happen. This was reality, this horrible moment right here. And none of it was going to go away on its own. I had to be brave and face this problem head on.

I snapped my attention back to what was going on, just in time to hear Voldemort say, "let's go." There was a loud scuffling sound as everyone rose to their feet with excited grins on their faces. They had been waiting awhile for this.

"Don't let her get free, Dolohov," Voldemort threatened, and I felt the arms that were restraining me tighten, making me much more uncomfortable.

"This is it, my friends," Voldemort said, and I had to stop myself from snorting. Friends? I bet that most of these people were here because they were afraid of him, not because they considered him a friend. "The time has finally come for Isabella Snape to die," Voldemort was cut off because a lot of cheering erupted from the death eaters. "And after today, nobody will doubt my power!" Another round of applause broke out, and I flinched.

Voldemort started walking toward the castle, with a nasty smirk on his face, while I was dragged along by Dolohov. Everything was quiet as we made our way through the forest. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of our feet crunching against the leaves on the ground.

Once we got closer to the castle, Voldemort stopped and then raised his wand to his throat, to magnify his voice. "Students and staff of Hogwarts, I have your precious hero, Isabella Snape, with me. I mean you no harm. There is no need for an attack. My followers and I are going to enter your castle peacefully. Isabella has graciously agreed to fight me, and I thought that it would be an excellent idea to have her die in front of all her friends. And keep in mind that anyone who stands in our way will be dealt with."

Voldemort's voice cut off and I could hear voices from the Great Hall, and then it all stopped. Dumbledore must have regained order.

"Ready to die, Isabella?' Voldemort hissed at me. What a stupid question. Of course I wasn't.

I glared at him, wanting so badly to yell and scream at him, but unable to because Dolohov had clamped his hand over my mouth. His grip on my hands were really starting to hurt too. I wished that they would just let me walk on my own. It's not exactly like I could go anywhere. They would strike me down before I made three steps.

I glanced back at the castle, trying to not think about what was going to happen in there in just a few minutes. We started walking again, well in my case, dragged.

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what was going to happen. I could save a lot of lives tonight if I managed to kill him, and if I didn't, well, I just didn't want to think about that. Everything depended on this battle between Voldemort and me. _Everything._

**DPOV**

Harry and I made our way to the Great Hall with low spirits. We were pretty sure that Bella was now in Voldemort's clutches and there was nothing that we could do about it.

Once we entered the Great Hall, we saw the teachers desperately trying to calm the students down and organize them into houses so they could find out if there were any missing students. They really didn't need to do that. There was only one student missing. And that one person was the most important thing in my life. I felt useless. I swore that I would always be there for her, to protect her, but I wasn't doing a very good job. Bella was in the forest with her worst enemy who was intent on killing her, and I couldn't protect her.

Ron and Hermione spotted us and came over, searching our faces and disappointment showing as they saw our expressions. They had obviously not seen Bella either. The last bit of hope that I had been hanging on to faded, and I hung my head. Bella was gone and there was no guarantee that she would make it back alive.

"No luck?" Ron asked.

"None," Harry replied gloomily. "She must have made it out of the castle just before they locked it all up."

"Attention, students," Dumbledore said to everyone. I looked around and saw that all the teachers had finished checking to see who was here and who wasn't. "We have finished counting up the students and have found that we are only missing one. Isabella Snape." Murmurs sounded from throughout the Great Hall as rumors spread about what might have happened. I think that me and Harry were the only quiet ones.

Dumbledore talked for a little while longer, but I honestly had no idea what he was saying. It probably wasn't anything important. Nothing seemed important anymore. Not without Bella.

I was about to try and make an excuse to leave, because I just wanted to be alone, when a voice rang out through the halls for the second time that night. I think that every single person had frozen with eyes widened in fear. It was worse for me because I knew that this message would state what had happened to Bella. "Students and staff of Hogwarts," the cold voice began. "I have your precious hero, Isabella Snape, with me." I involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. She was still alive. That was a good thing. "I mean you no harm. There is no need for an attack. My followers and I are going to enter your castle peacefully. Isabella has graciously agreed to fight me, and I thought that it would be an excellent idea to have her die in front of all her friends. And keep in mind that anyone who stands in our way will be dealt with."

The voice cut off and hundreds of voices started talking at once, but I was in my own little world. He had captured my Bella and was now forcing her to fight him, and he was planning on killing her in front of my very eyes in just a few minutes. I thought it would be horrible if she died, but to have her murdered right in front of me was just torturous. I glanced over at Harry and could tell that his thoughts were practically in sync with mine.

Dumbledore yelled out to regain control over all of us. Everyone turned to face him, waiting for his decision. He took a few deep breaths before finally speaking. "You are to stay seated and I do not want any of you saying even one word. This is serious and definitely not a time to mess around," Dumbledore said, with the fiercest glare that I had ever seen. "And finally, those of you who are close to Bella must not do anything to save or protect her. She is fully capable of handling herself and I am confident that she will be able to kill Voldemort," Dumbledore said, looking straight at Harry and I, while we glared back. I didn't give a damn about those rules. If Bella was in danger I sure as hell wasn't going to sit on the sidelines and watch. I was going to do everything in my power to save her.

Dumbledore must have sensed my thoughts because he sent an extra glare our way and said, "You. Will. Do. _Nothing._ Bella is fully capable of protecting herself. If you get involved, all three of you could die. And if you still fell a need to get involved, you can spend tonight locked up in your rooms. Do you understand?"

Unfortunately, I did. Harry and I reluctantly nodded. Hopefully Dumbledore was right and Bella would be able to kill Voldemort.

Dumbledore continued to give instructions, but I tuned out. He had said all of the important stuff first, and he was just going to go over more rules now. I hated that Bella was in danger and I couldn't do anything. Again. The last time she was hurt, I wasn't there and couldn't help what happened, but this time I was here. I was going to be so close to Bella while she was in danger, and I was now being forced not to do anything.

Desperately, I tried to think of a way that I could still help Bella, but so far coming up blank. As soon as I made a move to go and help Bella, Dumbledore would stop me and lock me away. No doubt he would be watching Harry and I to make sure we would obey his ridiculous rules.

I was snapped back to reality by an earsplitting bang that sounded like the front door being brought down. So much for coming in peace. I started hyperventilating as I realized that this was it. The time had come and there was no way that Bella could get out of this. One of them would die tonight, and all I could do was hope that it wouldn't be Bella.

A few of the younger kids screamed as they heard the loud bang. Even as young as they were, they still understood how horrible Voldemort was and all the things that he could do.

Dumbledore quieted everyone down again, and once again told us not to make any sounds. He tried to look confident in what he was doing and saying, but I could see the stress and worry in his eyes. He was counting a lot on Bella killing Voldemort, and if that didn't happen , a lot of people would die tonight.

Just then the door burst open and I saw Voldemort in the flesh for the second time in my life, and I couldn't help but cringe away. He had a pale, stone cold face with deadly red eyes and a flat nose that resembled that of a snake. He had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, a look that said he was ready to kill and he would stop at nothing until Bella was dead.

To the right of Voldemort was a big man named Dolohov, and he was dragging Bella. He had her arms tightly bound behind her back, and I could tell that it was painful by the look on her face.

"Hello everyone," Voldemort said in that deadly voice of his. "Dolohov! You can release Isabella now."

I watched as Dolohov pushed Bella to the ground and she landed with a thud. I wanted to go and help her, but a warning glance from Dumbledore stopped me, reminding me that I was not supposed to say or do anything or else I would be forced to stay in my room with no way of knowing whether Bella was alright or not.

"Are you ready to die Isabella?" Voldemort said, lowering his face down to her level.

Bella glared at him defiantly, and I was amazed that she was able to be that close to him without flinching or cowering away in fear. She was probably the only person in the entire wizarding world who was able to do that. "No, but I hope that you are. One of us will die tonight and it's not going to be me." I sure hoped so.

Voldemort made no reply except for a patronizing smile at her. He pulled her up by the arm and handed her wand back. Bella took it and I could see the fear in her eyes. She understood how important this moment was, and that everyone in this Great Hall was counting on her. She was only seventeen years old and it wasn't fair that she had to go through all of this, but Bella was more mature than most people her age. She knew what she had to do. She may not like it, but she knew it had to be done.

They started circling each other, wands pointed. This was it. After months of waiting for this, the moment had finally arrived. In the next five to ten minutes, one of them would be dead. This was another one of those moments when I wished I could read Bella's mind. I could only imagine what she was thinking right now.

**BPOV**

The hike to the castle was quick and silent. No one uttered a word. I think that everyone was too busy thinking about what was going to happen in the castle because I knew that I certainly was. Voldemort said that he was the greatest sorcerer in the world, but I could tell that he was a little nervous about what was going to happen. If anyone in this world could beat him, it was me, and he knew it.

As we entered the castle, I looked around at all my favorite places, taking in every detail, allowing the memories of earlier, simpler times to consume me. I didn't know whether I would make it out alive today, suddenly causing everything to look much more beautiful than it usually did. Even things that I usually wouldn't spare a second glance at.

The usually long walk to the Great Hall passed all too quickly and before I knew it, I was facing those giant doors that had once been a part of happy memories, but now just filled me with dread.

Voldemort didn't hesitate in flinging the door open, causing a bang to resound through the Great Hall. Everyone turned their heads toward Voldemort, looks of horror and fear evident on their faces. I immediately sought out Harry and Draco, and relaxed slightly. They were safe. As long as they were safe everything would be alright. I would be able to do this, knowing that no matter what happened, the two people I loved most would be safe.

"Hello everyone," Voldemort said in a smooth voice that caused almost everyone to cringe away. Voldemort saw this too and must have decided that it would be pointless to talk to them anymore and that it was time to get things started. "Dolohov! You can release Isabella now."

Dolohov pushed me down roughly and I landed with a thud. I was definitely going to have a bruise from that.

"Are you ready to die Isabella?" Voldemort asked me, lowering his face down so he was closer to me.

It was amazing that I didn't flinch away in revulsion, but instead glared back at him and said, "No, but I hope that you are. One of us will die tonight and it's not going to be me."

Voldemort smiled at me unpleasantly and then pulled me up by my arm, and this time I did flinch. His hand was extremely cold and I didn't even want to think about all of the horrible things that he had done to get it that way. He silently handed me my wand and we started circling each other.

I glanced over quickly at Harry and Draco and I thought that they looked like they were about to have a heart attack. I wanted to go over and comfort them, and reassure them that everything would be okay, but I couldn't. If I stepped anywhere near them, Voldemort would kill them along with me.

Looking back at Voldemort, I saw him staring curiously at me, and then turning his gaze to Harry, looking back and forth between us. "Agh, Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed. "Isabella's 'brother'. I can see that Bella cares a lot about you." Voldemort paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Once Isabella is dead, you will be the first to go, Potter."

Anger built up inside me and I clenched my hands around my wand, while Voldemort smiled menacingly. "What? Don't like that idea? Would you rather I kill your boyfriend, Draco, first instead?"

I froze. How in the hell did he find out about Draco and I? I had thought that that was one detail about myself that Voldemort hadn't found out.

He smiled at me triumphantly. "I know everything, Isabella. _Everything. _There is nothing that you can hide from me. I've already killed your parents, and I plan on killing your brother and boyfriend right after you. How does that sound to you?"

I started shaking with rage. My vision was clouded by red as I stared at Voldemort. All of my control snapped and I lashed out, not feeling the least bit guilty for what I was about to do. He had ruined enough lives, and it was time for someone to end his.

I felt my hate and rage for the man standing before me and I called out the only spell that I knew would get rid of Lord Voldemort. Forever.

Unfortunately, Voldemort knew exactly what I was going to do and reacted quickly.

"Avada Kedavra!" We both shouted out, our wands pointing at one another.

Green light flashed from the point of my wand, meeting Voldemort's curse halfway. I felt the power of this spell and held on as hard as I could, concentrating harder than I ever had before.

I thought about all of the innocent people that he had killed and all of the families that had been destroyed because of him, including mine. I thought about Harry and Draco and how no matter what happened tonight, I would do everything I could to make sure that nothing harmed them. And lastly, I thought about Snape. My dad, my extremely brave and courageous dad. He loved me more than anything and had done so much for me. I loved him with all of my heart, but Voldemort had ripped him away from me, ruining my life, and taking the last of my family from me. The anger and rage came back to me, stronger than before, and I had the strength I needed to kill Voldemort.

My spell started overpowering Voldemort's and I knew that he could see it. A panicked expression crossed his face for a second before concentration replaced it. He fought harder, but I held my ground and tried harder. Exclamations of surprise could be heard all throughout the Great Hall as my curse grew steadily closer to him, until finally it reached him.

A stunned look crossed his face, and then he fell. Silence followed and nobody said a word for a few seconds until applause broke out. Joyous screams of delight and people yelling as if every evil in the world had been destroyed.

I stared at Voldemort's body in astonishment. I had done it. I had actually done it. I had killed Voldemort. It was all over. Slowly a smile spread across my face as I realized that I had actually killed Lord Voldemort and that we were all safe. Mostly, I was still in a state of shock and my brain could only register one thing. I did it. _I actually did it. _

Everyone crowded around me, hugging me, shaking my hand, trying to touch some part of the person who had saved them and their families.

I searched the crowd for Harry and Draco and saw them fighting their way toward me. I was about to go over to them when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

Nobody else had noticed her in all of the excitement except for me. I saw the look of absolute hatred cross her face and I saw the gleaming knife in her hand. The same knife that she had used to torture me with. Bellatrix Lestrange smirked at me, that hate still evident in her eyes. She hurled the knife at me and I felt a sharp pain in my side.

I looked down and saw the knife sticking out of my side and blood spurting out everywhere. Gasps of horror sounded from the crowd, along with the dreadful cackle of Bellatrix.

Looking up I saw the terrified faces of Harry and Draco. Relief washed through me when I saw that they were safe. Everything would be alright as long as they were. Pain rushed through me, reminding me that I still had a knife sticking out of my side and that I was rapidly losing blood. The pain was sucking me in and I gratefully welcomed the blackness. I had done my job. I had killed Voldemort, saving many, and now it was time for me to go. The image of Harry and Draco rushing toward me was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

_I love you Draco. I love you Harry, _I thought before the pain enveloped me, sucking me into the blackness.

**Author's Note:**

**I really hoped you liked the final battle! It took me a long time to write and I really hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and tell me what you think. It only take one minute! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciated it and I love hearing what you all have to say!**


	25. Chapter 25

**BPOV**

Ugh, my head was killing me and my body felt stiff, as if I hadn't moved it in days, but that was nothing compared to the tremendous pain in my side. I reached down and felt bandages covering my entire right side. I groaned. This was going to take a while to heal.

My eyes snapped open as I remembered what had happened. I had done it. I had killed Voldemort! Against all the odds, I had killed him and ended up saving a lot of people. I tried to sit up and gasped in pain. I instantly fell back onto the pillows, and it was then that I remembered how I had ended up in here. Bellatrix had thrown her knife at me, and it had obviously hit its target.

I felt a hand clasp around mine and I snapped my head up to see Harry. He smiled at me faintly and I could see the exhaustion and worry on his face. I would bet anything that he had rarely left my side since I had been here. This had to have been the third or fourth time this year that Harry has had to wait by my bedside in the hospital wing. He must have been getting tired of it, because I knew that I sure was.

"Hey," he said tiredly. "How are you doing Bells?"

I winced. "I hurt everywhere, bro, especially my side," I said, my voice raspy from not talking in who knows how long.

Harry grimaced at my answer and handed me a glass of water from my bedside table and I happily gulped it down. "Don't worry Bella. You're going to be fine. Madame Pomfrey said that you would make a full recovery. We were all just waiting for you to wake up."

Harry's words stirred something in me. "How long was I unconscious? What happened?" I asked, not really sure if I wanted an answer.

"About five days. After you fell, everyone either surged around you or went after Bellatrix." A dark look full of hatred came over Harry as he said Bellatrix's name. "You were immediately rushed to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey started working on you right away. No one knew if you were going to make it or not. There was so much blood. We all just sort of waited."

Harry took a deep breath and then continued. "Madame Pomfrey finally came out a few hours later and told us that you'd be fine, but she wasn't sure when you'd wake up. Draco and I have barely left. It took me forever to convince him to leave just to shower. He's been a real mess, Bells, even worse than me, and that's saying something."

I sat silently as I soaked everything in. Harry had said that a lot of people had gone after Bellatrix, so I was assuming that she was dead. I also thought about Draco, and happiness washed through me. We would finally be able to work things out between us. I had missed him more than anything over the past few days before Voldemort came. I wished that he could have been with me through all of that mess, standing by my side and helping me through all of the chaos. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to see him. To apologize for hurting him and all of the other stupid things that I had done.

"Harry, can you please get Draco? I need to see him," I said, and even I could hear the desperation in my voice.

Harry scrutinized my face for a few seconds, and must have seen the absolute need written all over it because he nodded his head and quickly made his way out of the hospital wing.

I leaned back against the pillows and relaxed, waiting. Over and over, I kept running things through in my head of what I could say to Draco. All I wanted was to be back with him. To hold him, kiss him, be there for him and have him be there for me, but there was a possibility that Draco wouldn't want me back, and that thought terrified me.

I tried to think of something that I could say to Draco, but my thoughts were cut off by the door opening and a tired and weary Draco appearing in the doorway. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and I instantly felt guilty that I was the reason he wasn't sleeping.

"Bella," Draco breathed, his soft voice caressing me and causing me to instantly relax. He always had that sort of effect on me. "You're awake. You're finally awake. Are you alright?"

He quickly hurried over and sat down in the chair beside the bed that Harry had previously been sitting in, and grabbed my hand, causing butterflies to appear in my stomach and for a blush to spread across my face.

"I'm fine," I croaked, my voice still hoarse despite the glass of water that I had chugged down when I had first woken up.

Draco reached and grabbed another glass of water from my bedside table and gently lowered it to my mouth. "Here, drink this."

I hungrily gulped this glass down too until it was all gone. "Better?" Draco asked.

I nodded. "Thanks."

We didn't say anything for a few seconds, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. I had to tell him how sorry I was about everything.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I'm so, _so_ sorry," I burst out, unable to control myself.

Draco's eyes widened. "What are you talking about Bella. What could you possibly have to be sorry for?"

Tears silently started falling as I said, "for what happened between us. For what I said and for not believing in you. In us. And for being such a coward."

Draco squeezed my hand harder and gently wiped the tears away from my face with his free hand. "Oh, Bella. Don't worry about it. We both said stupid things that night and I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly."

With tears still pouring down my face, I launched myself at Draco, ignoring the pain in my side. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, trying to calm myself down.

Draco gently rubbed my back and whispered comforting words in my ear. I pressed myself closer to him, immensely enjoying the feeling of being back in his arms. I didn't care that we hadn't spoken in what felt like months. All I cared about was that I was back in his arms, back home, back where I belonged.

The door opened and Draco and I slowly drew a part to look at Harry who was looking sheepish. "Sorry about the interruption. I'll just be going now," he said, blushing and slowly backing out of the room.

Draco and I laughed once he was gone. "That was awkward," I stated, cautiously lying back down on the bed, wincing as pain shot through my side.

Draco looked down at me and I noticed that he looked nervous again and was unconsciously biting his lip. "Bella, I do regret what happened that night, but I also stand firm in what I said. I don't want to be with you if you have very little faith in me and in us. I do love you, Bella. So, _so _much, but my decision on this is final."

More tears sprang to my eyes as I looked up at him. "Oh Draco, I love you too! And I regret everything that I said as soon as it left my lips. I know that with you by my side, I can do anything and that I have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I also realized that as long as you are in my future, I shouldn't worry and that I should be happy that you are still a part of my life, even if I don't get to see you as much as I do now."

Draco's whole face lit up and he squeezed my hands so hard that it actually hurt. "I am so glad Bella," he said, his beautiful voice filled with emotion. "And you're right. I will always be there for you. To love and protect you. Forever and always. But I'm not too sure about the part of not getting to see me much," he said, playfulness evident in his eyes. He knew something that I didn't.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you talking about? What aren't you telling me?"

Draco's smile widened. He was clearly enjoying this. "My parents are here and the other day they told me some very interesting news."

I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to continue. I had no idea what he was talking about. "How does this relate to anything?"

His grin grew bigger and I began to grow impatient. "This relates because my parents just so happened to tell me that they had bought a new house and that they had decided to give it to us for after we left Hogwarts."

My jaw dropped as I stared at him. I had definitely not been expecting that. My heart pounded in my chest as I thought about it. I would actually be living with Draco. I would never have to be a part from him.

Draco grew nervous at my silence. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. You don' have to live with me if you don't want to," he trailed off weakly.

"No!" I practically shouted, shocked that he had come to that conclusion. "I would love to live with you Draco. I'm just in shock. It's a lot to take in."

He smiled at me, relieved, but still a little bit uneasy. "Are you sure? Because it's okay if it's not. I mean, I don't want to rush you."

I gingerly sat up again and brought my face closer to his. "I'm sure," I said just before crashing my lips on his with a passion that could have set the room on fire. He eagerly matched my intensity, and I realized that he must have missed me just as much as I had missed him. I tangled my fingers into his hair and pressed myself as close to him and I possibly could. He gently wrapped his arms around me waist, trying not to hurt my sensitive, bandaged side, but at this moment I could care less about my injuries.

We kissed for a few more minutes and I enjoyed ever single moment of it, trying to commit it to memory. The exact feel of his arms wrapped tight around me, the way his soft lips slowly moved against mine, and the wonderful taste of his mouth on mine.

We pulled away panting and smiling at each other. He kissed my nose and heat coursed through me. I always felt that way after he touched me and I never grew tired of it.

A cough sounded behind us and we both whipped our heads around to see Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny standing there watching us with amused and slightly disgusted expressions on their faces.

Draco and I both turned scarlet and slowly let go of each other. Harry laughed. "I'm glad to see that you two have finally made up."

I blushed redder and slowly nodded my head, still too embarrassed to say anything. Harry smiled and came closer to us. "Well, it's about time you two finally stopped acting like idiots and got back together."

"Gee thanks," I said sarcastically, grinning up at Harry. Harry was joking around right now, but I knew that he was secretly very glad that we had made up. I knew he had been worrying about us before the attack.

Hermione ignored our conversation and ran over to me, tears filling her eyes. She wrapped her arms around me and I nearly turned purple from lack of oxygen. She was holding onto me so tight. "I am so glad that you are alright Bella. I was so worried about you and I didn't know if you were going to survive. There was so much blood," she sobbed into my shoulder.

I squeezed back, glad to have my best friend with me. "It's okay Hermione, I'm here now and I'm all right. You don't have anything to worry about."

She clung to me a little bit longer before pulling away and wiping tears away. "I know, Bells, I know. I'm just in shock I guess. It all happened so fast."

I smiled at her. "I know exactly how you feel."

Hermione grinned at me, extremely relieved to see that I was alright, but then suddenly her expression became stern and she glared at me.

"What?" I asked, confused as to why she had gotten so angry all of a sudden.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again Bella! You have no idea what I went through. I didn't know if Voldemort was torturing you or if you had already been killed, and you didn't even tell me what you were going to do or even come to say goodbye!"

I put my head down, ashamed that I had done this to my friends. She was right. I shouldn't have taken off like that without talking to them. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I really am. Can you ever forgive me?"

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she stared at me and at this moment, I really wished that I could read minds. Because I had absolutely no idea what she could possibly be thinking about while she stared at me like that. She finally stopped scrutinizing me and ran over to hug me. "Of course I forgive you," she sobbed into my shoulder. "You're my best friend."

I held on tighter to her and enjoyed the feeling of being back with my friends and family. Having near death experiences helped you appreciate these types of things. "I love you, Hermione. You're not my best friend, you're more than that. You're my sister."

Hermione pulled away and smiled at me. "I love you too sis."

Ron cleared his throat, interrupting our moment. "We're here too you know," he said, impatiently tapping his foot and feigning sadness about having been forgotten.

I laughed and opened my arms. "I could never forget about you Ronald. Now get over here!"

He quickly obeyed and came over to hug me. "I'm so glad you're okay Bella. I was so worried about you. Who would have been my partner in crime if you had died?"

I laughed, pulling away from him. "I'm sure you could have found somebody. But now that I'm better, well have to get to work on some good pranks."

"You've got it Bells," he said, winking slyly at me.

Once Ron had finished talking to me, Ginny came over to hug me. "I am so glad that you're alright. Please don't ever scare me like that again."

I smiled at her. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. Danger seems to find me like a magnet."

Everyone laughed at my joke and we spent the rest of the evening talking about what had happened since that night. They told me that Mrs. Weasley had ultimately been the one to kill Bellatrix after she had thrown the knife at me and nearly killed Ginny with the Killing Curse. They also told me that Voldemort's body had been removed, but none of them knew what had happened to it. Apparently reporters from the Daily Prophet were also dying for a chance to get to speak with me about what had happened. I wished I could just skip that, but Harry grimly told me that it was inevitable and that I might as well get it over with. Harry wasn't happy about the reporters. He thought it was disrespectful to me for them to only care about interviewing me when I had nearly died.

After talking to them for about half an hour, James and Lily came into the room and rushed to my side. They hugged me as best as they could with all of my injuries. They said pretty much the same things that my friends had. Things like how glad they were to see that I was okay, how I better never scare them like that again, and how they had been so worried about me.

I assured them that I was fine and they both eventually calmed down. We all continued talking for about an hour until Madame Pomfrey came in and ordered everyone to leave, stating that I was still very weak and needed my sleep, and I couldn't help but agree. I was so exhausted and desperately wanted to snuggle into the warm blankets and sleep.

James and Lily kissed me on my forehead before leaving, promising to be back tomorrow. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny each gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving, also promising to come back tomorrow. Draco was the last person to leave.

Once everyone left, he came over to my bed and softly pressed his lips to mine. "I'll be back tomorrow," he whispered, once he had pulled away to lean his forehead against mine.

Smiling, I said, "I can't wait."

Draco smiled and kissed me one more time before standing up and leaving. I watched him go, wishing that he could have just stayed here with me.

I laid back down in my bed and pondered everything that had happened. Everything seemed to be so perfect at the moment. Voldemort was dead, Draco and I were back together, and all of my family was here with me, safe and sound. Well, not all of my family, I thought to myself, thinking of Snape.

I wished more than anything that he could have been here with me. For as long as I could remember, whenever I was in the hospital wing, Snape had always been there when I had woken up. Always. And I wished that that could have still been true, but I knew that it wasn't. He was gone and he wasn't coming back.

I sighed to myself, turning off the light on my bedside table. At least one good thing came out of all this mess. Voldemort was dead and he wasn't coming back to destroy any more families. Ever.

**Author's Note:**

**I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter. I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. I have been extremely busy the last few weeks and have not had a chance to write anything. Thank you for everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I love hearing from you! Please don't forget to review this chapter! **


	26. Chapter 26

**BPOV**

All of the others were true to their promises of coming back the next day, but unfortunately they had had enough of watching me sleep and thought that it was time that I woke up. So I got interrupted from my nice, peaceful sleep by an annoying voice yelling my name and jumping on the bed.

"Bella! Bells! _Bella!_" Ron yelled, while jumping on my bed, trying and unfortunately succeeding in waking me up.

I nearly fell off of the bed thanks to his antics, catching myself just in time. I slowly sat up, unfortunately still feeling the sharp pain in my side. "What do you want Ronald?" I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. Didn't he know any better than to rudely wake up a tired, injured person?

"Bella, open your eyes," he complained.

Apparently not.

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes.

"Sorry Bells, but I've been watching you sleep for the last five days. Excuse me if I don't want to watch anymore," he said, smiling down at me while I glared.

"You could have at least done it nicely," I grumbled, causing the others to laugh.

I lay back down against the pillows and faced everyone. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were sitting around my bed, and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Draco wasn't there.

"His parents are here and they wanted to talk to him about something," Harry explained, seeing the crestfallen expression that crossed my face.

Ron, on the other hand, pouted. "Aww, Bells. Aren't we enough for you?"

I smiled at him sweetly. "Not when you wake me up."

Everyone laughed while Ron pouted again. I had to admit, it was a pretty funny sight. Ron was a big guy and seeing someone like him pouting was hilarious. It was just like seeing Emmett pout. That was even more ridiculous. Speaking of the Cullen's, I wondered where they were.

"So, has anyone talked to Madame Pomfrey lately? How long do I have to stay in this place?" I asked, hoping that it wouldn't be too long. My side still hurt, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle.

Harry smirked at me. "I know what you're thinking Bells, but it's going to be a long time before you get out of here."

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. "What do you mean? I am perfectly fine. I could leave today."

Harry shook his head at me, exasperated by my stubbornness. "Bella, you are definitely not fine. Madame Pomfrey told me that you probably wouldn't even be able to walk for another week."

I gasped. "What do you mean I can't walk? I got stabbed in my _side, _not my legs."

Harry winced at my words. Seeing what Bellatrix had done to me had really left a mark on him. Harry and I still needed to talk about what had happened that night; I was just waiting for an opening so we could talk in private.

"You lost a lot of blood though Bells. You are too weak to do anything besides lay in bed and rest," Harry explained.

I lay back down, frowning, clearly not pleased with this. "Well, what am I supposed to do in here for a week?" I demanded.

"Well, classes have been canceled due to recent events," Hermione said, with a little bit of disappointment and frustration in her voice.

I laughed. "Hermione, you are the only person that I know that would ever be _upset _about classes being cancelled."

She smiled at me sheepishly while the others laughed at her.

A few seconds later there was a knock on the door and seven figures emerged. I grinned as I saw who it was. "It's about time you showed up. I was beginning to worry that something had happened to you."

Alice shrugged her shoulders sheepishly and ran over to my bed and threw her arms around me. "Oh, Bella! I am so glad that you are alright. Nobody knew if you were going to make it or not. There was just so much blood. I was so worried, Bella, you have _no idea._"

I laughed softly. "I'm fine, Alice. All better now."

Harry raised his eyebrows from behind Alice, questioning just how true that statement was.

I turned my head away, ignoring him. "Hey everyone. How are you guys doing?" I asked. I didn't remember seeing them during the battle, but I was sure that they were there. "Are you alright?"

Emmett smiled at me and came closer to my bed. "Never better Bells. You were amazing out there, you know. You put Voldemort in his place. No death eater is ever going to bother you again."

I laughed out loud. Only Emmett would say something like that. "Thanks Em, that means a lot."

He smiled down at me. "Anytime little sis."

"Oh, come here you big teddy bear and give me a hug," I said, holding my arms wide open. He grinned and bent down and hugged me tightly.

"I really missed you while we were gone Bells. I'm so sorry for leaving without saying good goodbye, could you ever forgive me?"

He looked at me with those puppy dog eyes and I smirked at him. "Sorry Emmett, those don't work on me."

He decided to step it up a notch. He looked at me with the most heartbreaking expression and his bottom lip jutting out. He was using the face that I couldn't resist and he knew it. "Oh, alright! I forgive you, Emmett! Just stop looking at me like that!"

He beamed at me and I grinned back. I had truly missed my big bear of a brother. "Thanks Bells."

Jasper came up to me next and he was just about to open his mouth to speak when I cut him off. "I know what you are going to say Jasper and I assure you that it is fine. It isn't your fault for what happened on my birthday, and I have never blamed you for that, I just wanted to let you know that."

He smiled at me. "Thank you Bella. You truly are an extraordinary person and I am so glad that you are alright." He bent down and quickly hugged me.

Once he pulled away, he stepped away from my bed and Rosalie came up next. I looked up at her warily, wondering what she was going to say to me.

"Bella," she said earnestly, causing my eyes to widen. This was the first time that I had heard her say my name without any bitterness or anger. "I am _so sorry_ for all of the pain and hurt that I have caused you. I was just jealous."

I stared up at her in astonishment. How could someone as beautiful as Rosalie ever be jealous of someone like me? "How could you ever be jealous of me, Rose?" I asked incredulously. "You're so beautiful and perfect."

Rosalie smiled at me. "I'm not perfect, Bella, but thank you." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You probably won't understand this yet, but I was jealous of you because you had everything that I wanted and I was jealous of you because you had what I couldn't. I always wanted to grow old and have a family and one day sit on a porch and watch my grandchildren. I wanted to move forward, to be human and grow old. I'm sorry Bella," she said hanging her head. "I let my jealousy get the better of me. I never meant to hurt you."

I smiled at Rosalie. "It's alright Rose. I get it. I forgive you for everything that you have done. Let's start over and start fresh. Does that sound good?"

She beamed at me. "That sounds excellent Bella. Thank you so much for forgiving me even when I didn't deserve it, and I promise that I will make it up to you. If there is anything that you need, don't hesitate to ask."

I smiled at her. "Thank you for the offer Rose, but you don't have to do anything for me." She grinned back at my response and she hugged me. "Thank you," she whispered into my ear.

"You're welcome," I whispered back, glad that after all of this time we were finally getting along.

She stepped back and Carlisle and Esme came up to hug me next. "We are so glad that you are back with us," they told me. "Our family hasn't been the same without you."

"Things weren't the same without you guys either. I am glad that we were able to work through all of our issues and put the past behind us."

Smiling, they stepped back and Edward finally came up and hugged me. "I am so glad that you are alright Bella. You have no idea how worried I was when I saw that you were hurt."

"I'm fine Edward. I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled back slightly to look me in the eye. "I meant what I said Bella. I will be your friend and your friend only. I just want you to know that I will always be here for you, whatever you need, just come to me."

"I will," I whispered, touched at his confession. Things weren't perfect between us, and they were far from being perfect. He had hurt me deeply and a part of me was always going to remember that, but hopefully one day I would be able to fully let that go and concentrate on the future. "Thank you for everything Edward. You have already helped me so much. And you'll find that special someone. It wasn't me, but don't worry, she's out there somewhere and when you find her, I am positive that you will be extremely happy."

He smiled at me. "Thank you Bella. That means a lot to me, and I wish you nothing but happiness with Draco."

Grinning I said, "thank you. I really appreciate that Edward." Then I turned to Harry. "Speaking of Draco, where is he?"

"Right here," Draco's voice answered as the door to my hospital room opened and Draco came over to my side and grabbed my hand. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Are you alright?"

I rolled my eyes. "I am fine, Draco. Stop worrying so much. I'm not just going to instantly drop dead."

He sighed. "I know, but I just worry so much about you. I love you so much and I can't bear to live without you."

"Aww," chorused all of the girls in the room.

I turned to face them. "Guys, I love you all so much, but could you please leave so I can be alone with Draco?"

Harry rolled his eyes at me. "Gee thanks Bella. I am feeling the love," he said sarcastically while making his way toward the door. "It's good to finally know how you feel about us."

The others thankfully nodded and smiled at us on their way out. Harry was the only complainer.

Once they were all gone I turned to Draco and smiled at him softly. "I love you too Draco, but nothing is going to happen to me. I promise. I have been in much worse situations than this and I have always survived and came back to you, and this time is no different."

He sighed and leaned his forehead down against mine. "You're right, but I still can't help but worry."

"Do you know when I am finally going to be able to leave this place?" I demanded, already anxious to escape this depressing room.

"I talked to Harry and he said that it would be at least a few weeks before you could leave, and even after that you have to take it easy for a while and won't be able to do anything."

I groaned. "I hate sitting around and doing nothing!"

Draco smiled and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know you do, but it's only going to be for about two weeks and then you can leave. Madame Pomfrey just wants to make sure that you are fully healed before she lets you leave."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I am perfectly fine to leave now."

Draco chuckled. "What can I do to get your mind off of this? You need to relax and stop worrying about when you can leave."

I looked up at him mischievously. "Well, maybe you could kiss me again. That might make me forget."

He looked down at me, amusement plastered across his face. "Are you sure? Remember, you aren't supposed to do anything too strenuous."

"Just come here already," I said, placing my hands around his neck and pulling him down to me. I kissed him, trying to convey all of the love and passion I felt for him in that one kiss.

I pulled away slightly and whispered, "I love you, Draco. So much. I have no idea what I would do without you."

He smiled against my lips. "I love you too Bella, forever and always," he said just before crashing his lips back down to mine.

I sighed into the kiss and pressed myself as close to him as possible. With him I could do anything. He was my strength and my rock, and I knew that as long as he was in my life, I would be alright. I just couldn't wait to get out of this hospital and start my life with him, because I knew it was going to be great. We would still fight and disagree on some things, but we would always be able to get over it and forgive each other. Our love was so strong, and it would only continue to get stronger as the years went on.

**Author's Note:**

**I really hoped that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I am so sorry that it took m so long to update, I have been extremely busy studying for finals and other school projects. The next chapter is going to be a short epilogue and then this story will unfortunately be over. Thank you to everyone who has added my story to their favorite story list or story alerts, and thank you so much for all of your reviews. I love reading what you have to say about my story, so please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	27. Epilogue

**BPOV**

"Yes, yes, Harry, I know. We will be there soon. I just need to find my shoes." I said impatiently into the phone as I scrambled around the house looking for my shoes. I had been looking for them for about ten minutes now without any luck. One of the problems was that this house was just so _big. _I couldn't find anything in this house. When I had first moved here, I had been so lost and got lost just on my way to the bathroom.

I could practically hear Harry rolling his eyes on the other end of the line. "Bells, you're a witch. Why don't you just use magic to find your shoes?"

My mouth popped open. I hadn't even thought of that. I was such an idiot. Harry was never going to let me live this down.

I heard Harry laughing on the other end of the line when I didn't say anything. I grumbled into the phone as I pulled my wand out. "Accio shoes!" I called out clearly and watched as my shoes came soaring into the room. Why hadn't I thought of this ten minutes ago?

"You completely forgot about using magic didn't you?" Harry asked, amusement apparent in his voice. He seemed to find some kind of joy in my pain. Brothers could be so cruel sometimes. Honestly, sometimes I wished that I was an only child. Well, technically I was, but that wasn't important right now.

"No," I said defensively. "Of course I didn't forget. What kind of idiot would forget something like that?"

Harry was full out laughing now, unable to control himself. "Apparently you."

I glared, even though I knew that he couldn't see it through the phone. "We will be there soon. Bye," I said curtly before hanging up on him, cutting him off mid laugh. I loved Harry to death, but sometimes I wished that he would disappear to some far away country for a very long time, possibly a country without phone service.

I sighed and glanced around, a faint smile appearing on my lips. I had been living here for about five months now, and I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this was now my home and that I shared it with Draco. Everything was just so perfect, it was like a dream. An amazing dream that never ended. It was the most amazing feeling waking up to Draco every single morning and knowing that I could do that forever.

I remembered the day he had first brought me here. He had been so nervous about my reaction toward the house, it was so cute, but I had absolutely loved it. It was impossible not to. This house was gorgeous and we didn't even use half of the rooms that were in it. It was more like a mansion than a house, but, hey, I wasn't going to complain.

The house was a huge mansion that had over fifteen bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It also included a beautiful kitchen that I immensely enjoyed cooking in. There was a large dining room where Draco and I only ate in when we had guests. Most of the time we would eat in the giant and stunning living room or in our bedroom.

The grounds were all green with various types of flowers and plants, and a small creek running through the property. There was also a pool outside in the back. My eyes had nearly popped out of my head when I saw that for the first time. I laughed quietly to myself as I recalled pushing Draco into the water for laughing at me. Let's just say that he wasn't laughing any more after that. He had been a little angry at first, but got over it and forgiven me after he got his revenge by pulling me down into the pool with him.

Some other fun things that our house included were a basketball court, some batting cages, and even a mini movie theatre. When I had first come here, I was shocked that Lucius and Narcissa had given this place up, but they assured me that it was alright, and once I saw their house, which was ten time bigger than this, I finally understood how they could so easily give this house up, however, I liked this house much better. I didn't need all of that space. I didn't even need everything that this house had. I could live in a shack and be happy as long as Draco was with me.

Tonight we were all having a picnic to celebrate the five month anniversary of Voldemort's death. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George, Lily, James, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and I were all going to go and I couldn't wait to see them all again. I had been extremely busy in the auror office for the past two weeks and I hadn't had much time to see anyone. So I was thrilled to be able to relax and catch up with everyone, and it would be the first time in awhile that we would all be together with everyone present.

After Voldemort had been defeated, and I graduated from Hogwarts, I became an auror along with Harry and Ron. Draco took over his father's business and Hermione became an editor for the Daily Prophet, making sure to publish only the truth.

Draco had been absolutely perfect ever since the whole incident with Voldemort. He had been with me throughout my recovery and had encouraged me and comforted me every step of the way. Sometimes I honestly didn't know how I would survive without him. He was my rock and the person that kept me going day after day. I didn't know what I had done to deserve him. He was way too good for me, but of course whenever I told him that, he would claim that I had it backwards.

We still had our occasional silly fights, but we were always able to get past them and move on. When I had first moved in with him, I was a little nervous because I was afraid that he wouldn't like me anymore when he discovered my weird tendencies or if I discovered strange things that _he _did, but thankfully Draco accepted mine, telling me that they were cute, which I didn't understand at all, and Draco didn't really have any, to which I was relieved, but even if he did, I would have loved him all the same.

I looked around the room, coming back to reality, and smiled as I recalled all of the wonderful times that Draco and I had had together in this house. Every single moment that I was with him was like heaven. He could brighten my day just be simply being here.

I slipped my shoes on and then went into the bathroom to run a brush through my hair and put on a little bit of makeup. Hermione would kill me if I showed up looking like a slob, which she kindly pointed out that I looked like most of the time. Hey, it wasn't my fault that I had a job that wasn't about glamour and that I spent most of my time in dirty places, hunting down criminals.

"You don't need any of that," I heard a voice say from the doorway. "You look absolutely perfect just the way you are."

I turned around, a huge smile on my face. Draco was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile gracing his lips. He looked so amazing that I had to fight the urge to run over there and start kissing him. If that happened, we would never make it to the picnic. We were already late enough thanks to my shoe fiasco.

"Why thank you," I responded, moving slowly over to Draco and smiling as I saw him watching my every move. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He smirked at me, but didn't say anything. He just wordlessly held out his hand, and I took it, kissing him briefly on the lips before allowing him to lead me out of the room.

He led me to the living room, where the fire place was. Stepping into it, we both grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, shouted out our destination and were immediately engulfed in the green flames. A few seconds later, we were at the park that we would meet the others at.

"About time," I heard Harry say before coming over to greet us. I rolled my eyes. He was so impatient. Well, he probably picked that up from me.

Draco stood up and then held out his hand to help me up. I gratefully took it and smiled at him in thanks. He returned my smile, but only half heartedly. I stared at him in concern, wondering what could possibly be bothering him. He had been a little distant the last few days and I couldn't help but worry about what was wrong, but whenever I asked him he would just shake his head and tell me that everything was fine and I shouldn't worry about it.

I cast those thoughts out of my head. Today was supposed to be a fun, relaxing day and I wasn't going to let my worries get in the way of it. There would be plenty of time to stress about it later.

Harry came over and enveloped me in a huge bear hug. "I missed you Bells. How have you been doing?"

"I've been good," I replied. "How about you? How's married life?" I asked, winking at him, which caused him to roll his eyes at me.

Harry and Ginny had gotten married about three weeks ago and had just returned from their honeymoon a few days ago. Their wedding had been amazing and Ginny looked absolutely beautiful. Hermione and I had been the maids of honor and had helped Ginny with all of the plans along with Mrs. Weasley. It had been a lot of fun, and I hoped that I would get to do it again. I had even jokingly told Ron that he should just pop the question to Hermione already. He had laughed and said, "Don't worry Bells, I will. Just be patient."

"It's great," Harry said in reply to my question before glancing over at Draco and saying, "When's it going to be you're turn? I've already got my speech for the reception party ready. Don't worry Bells, it's not _too _embarrassing." He paused for a second. "Wait, never mind. It _is _that bad."

I laughed and pushed him away. "Oh shut up Harry. I didn't humiliate you at your wedding so you shouldn't do that at mine."

Before Harry could reply, Ginny came running over and tackled me in a hug. "Bella! I have missed you so much! How have you been?"

I laughed. "I've been great Ginny. How was the honeymoon? Most couples say it was the time of their life, but with Harry you never know," I said, glancing slyly over at Harry who glared at me in return.

Ginny giggled. "It was perfect!" She squealed in excitement. "Come over here. I was just telling Hermione about it." I waved goodbye to Draco and Harry while Ginny pulled me away, talking the whole way.

She told me almost every single detail about her honeymoon with Harry, thankfully sparing me of the gory details. After all, he was still my brother. They had gone to the Bahamas and had stayed in a wonderful five star hotel. The whole thing sounded so perfect and I couldn't wait until it was my turn.

Apparently Hermione was having the exact same thoughts because she said, "Bells, when's it going to be you and Draco's turn up at the altar. You two have been dating forever."

I sighed. "I honestly don't know. We've never really talked about it." It was true. Draco and I had been dating for a long time, but we had never really discussed marriage.

"Do I need to have a talk with him and guide him in the right direction?" Hermione suggested, grinning.

I shook my head, laughing at her. "No thanks. He'll ask me when he's ready."

"Well, if he were to ask you, what would you say?" Ginny asked, staring at me intently. I looked over at Hermione and noticed that she had the exact same expression on her face.

I smiled. "I would say yes," I said and both Hermione and Ginny started squealing and jumping up and down until I quieted them down and continued. "I love him so much and I am definitely ready to marry him."

"This is so great!" Hermione cried out excitedly. "I cannot wait until you're wedding."

Laughing, I said, "Calm down, Hermione. He has to ask me first."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances and I looked between them curiously, wondering what was up between them and what they were keeping from me.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," they chorused together, causing my eyes to narrow, but before I could question them, Harry called out, "Food's ready!" Hermione and Ginny looked relieved and quickly walked away.

"Is everything alright?" Draco asked, coming up behind me and putting his arm around my waist.

"They're keeping something from me. I can tell."

Draco laughed, looking a bit nervous and I turned to stare him down. "You know what they're hiding from me, don't you?"

"Maybe," he replied, refusing to meet my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, giving him a soft kiss, hoping to distract him.

Draco grinned down at me once I pulled away. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work."

I looked up at him innocently, but I don't think he was falling for it. He knew me too well. "I'm not trying to do anything, Draco. What are you talking about?"

"Not a chance, Bella," Draco said in amusement.

I pouted. "Fine. Don't tell me," I said, walking away, but Draco pulled me back to him and wrapped his arms around me.

"You will find out soon enough my impatient Bella," Draco said, kissing the top of my head.

I was just about to respond to his comment when Harry yelled out, "Bella, Draco, get over here before I have to come over there and hose you two down!"

I laughed. Oh Harry. What would I do without him? "Coming!" I called, grabbing Draco's hand and leading him over to the table's where everyone was gathered and had already started eating.

"Thanks for waiting for us," I said, shooting them all a look, which only caused them to laugh.

"Well, you shouldn't have taken so long to come," Ron said. "I would have waited for you," he continued. "But you know how much I love food, Bells. I love you too, but you will always come second to my first true love."

I laughed. "What place is Hermione in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow while Hermione turned to look over at her boyfriend with a stern expression on her face.

He saw her look and started stuttering. "I-I m-mean Hermione is first of course!" He said, causing everyone to laugh at him, including Hermione. "Sorry Bells, but you just dropped to third."

I placed my hand over my heart dramatically and said in a fake hurt voice, "Oh, Ron, I thought you loved me? What happened?"

Ron chuckled. "Sorry Bella, Hermione will always come before you. If you want someone to love on you, go talk to Draco."

I glared at him and he just smiled back at me innocently while everyone else laughed at our banter. Draco and I got our food and then sat down across from Harry and Ginny, who were talking quietly to each other. They were so cute together, and I was so glad that Harry had found somebody. I had never seen him so happy.

The rest of the evening went along really well. We talked to each other, ate, and had a lot of fun. It was great and I was really enjoying myself. I was currently talking to Harry when suddenly Draco came up to me and asked if I would like to go on a walk with him. I agreed and said goodbye to Harry, who winked and told us to have fun. He definitely knew something that he wasn't telling me.

Draco grabbed my hand and led me away from everybody. We walked around, talking about random things for a little while until Draco stopped and said nervously, "Bella, I have something to ask you."

I smiled up at him, telling him to go ahead.

He pulled something out of his pocket and then got down on one knee, causing me to gasp. Oh my gosh. Draco was actually going to propose to me! That was the big secret that everyone had been hiding from me. No wonder Hermione and Ginny had started jumping up and down like crazy people when I told them that I would say yes if Draco ever asked me to marry him. They knew he was going to ask me today.

He cleared his throat anxiously. "Isabella Snape, I love you with all of my heart and I promise to love you until the day I die. You are the most beautiful, kind, compassionate, amazing woman that I have ever met and I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

My eyes started watering as I gazed down at Draco, who was smiling up at me. "Yes," I whispered. "Of course I'll marry you."

A huge grin broke out across Draco's face and he stood up, pulling me into his arms and spinning me around. "Thank you Bella. You've just made me the happiest man on earth."

"I love you Draco," I said, gazing into his eyes, the eyes that I loved so much.

"I love you too," he whispered before leaning down and kissing me with so much passion that the whole world around us could have burst into flames and I probably wouldn't even have noticed it. I kissed him back, trying to convey to him all of the love and happiness that I was feeling.

We broke apart when we heard cheering coming from behind us. We spun around and saw our friends and family with huge grins on their faces. They ran over to us and started hugging and kissing us telling us how happy they were for us and how it was about time. I laughed and thought about how lucky I was to have all of these amazing people in my life.

I gazed at Draco who was smiling and talking to his parents. I wished that my parents could have been here to share this moment with me, but I knew that they were watching over me, together, and that they were proud of me and everything that I had done. With that, I walked over to Draco and took his hand in mine, thinking about the new family and future that I was going to create with the love of my life, and all of my friends and family beside me every step of the way

**Author's Note:**

**I can't believe that this story is finally finished! It seems like just yesterday I was starting it! I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, added me to author alert, story alert, or favorite story. I really appreciate all of your support and all of the encouraging reviews. I have really enjoyed writing this story and I am so sad that is over. Once again, thank you so much for all of your support! Your reviews made my day and gave me the inspiration to keep writing. And please don't forget to review one last time! **


End file.
